(Note: The above picture IS NOT China.)
Unlike so many here on the East Coast who hate the cold weather, I love it (minus the cold/flu season that accompanies it). I love the brisk weather and not sweating my (imaginary) balls off all the time. However something that tends to be disappointing season after season is the lack of any decent snow.
Well, seems China has decided not to wait around for some, it's went out and made its own.
On November 1st 2009, Beijing experienced it's first snowfall of the season which according to scientists, was the product of cloud seeding. IF that's true, then China has succeeded in producing real results in a experiment to solve drought conditions in certain parts of the country.
Clouds form around a condensation nuclei, some kind of particle such as dust that has been swept high into the cold parts of the atmosphere. At these lower temps, water condensates on and around the nuclei, forming clouds. No particles = no clouds = no percipitation.
Scientists in China have been experimenting with cloud-seeding, which artificially introduce condensation nuclei into the atmosphere. They used silver iodide introduced into the atmosphere, which quickly induces cloud formation because of their charge. Another advantage to this chemical is as the water bonds to the growing cloud, heat is released, drawing further moisture from the ground.
Did this actually work this time? Who knows. All we definitely know is that the storm was 11hrs long and bad enough to disrupt air travel. Also, let's not piss off the Chinese, we have enough tornadoes and freak storms over here let's not add random snow to it.
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