The Meteorological Agency of China has managed to control the weather in order to allow a large military parade in the capital Beijing to mark the founding day of the country's Communist Party, according to a study by Tsinghua University, published today (Wednesday) by the South China Morning Post. .
Authorities reportedly used "cloud seeding" technology, using metals and other chemicals such as silver iodide, to thicken clouds and cause rainfall.
Authorities systematically sowed clouds in the days leading up to the military parade and were able to significantly lower the chance of rain during the parade, as well as wash away the massive air pollution in which the Chinese capital is known.
Cloud seeding technology has been around for decades and has been tested in various countries around the world, but in recent years the Chinese government has invested billions of dollars in improving the technology and its uses.
In the past, authorities have tested the technology during fortress periods in agricultural areas as well as during the Beijing Olympics.
Chinese soldiers march in Beijing, Photo: Gettyimages
According to the article, the Communist Party's celebration celebrations in early July faced severe weather challenges including an unexpected rise in air pollution levels as well as a forecast for heavy clouds and rain during the day, as part of the rainy summers the Chinese capital knew.
Factories and other polluting factors were closed days before the festivities began but this was not enough to prevent the high level of snooping.
The peer-reviewed article in the West by the Environmental Science Magazine claimed that a two-hour operation to sow clouds in the pre-ceremony burial, as well as firing special missiles to sow clouds in mountainous areas north of the capital, managed to significantly reduce air pollution and prevent heavy rains in the capital during the day.
However, the widespread use of cloud seeding technology has drawn criticism from researchers and scientists who argue that it is unclear whether the method has implications for weather elsewhere or for larger climatic moves.
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