The sight is heartbreaking. This is how drought kills a mighty river. There was no trace of the swift current, only puddles remained …

- There has been no other event like the 2018 drought in the past 500 years. But I think this year is worse Andrea Toreti from the Joint Research Center of the European Commission said in an interview with The Guardian.

Record heat and lack of precipitation are finishing off other European rivers - the Danube, Vistula, San, Rhine and Elbe. The so-called hungry stones, ie. boulders, by which the water level was determined during a drought. Vegetation, fish and animals die along with the rivers. There was also an assumption that drought and climate change could be the cause or somehow contribute to what happened to the Oder.

Drought is killing the ecosystem, and dry rivers are killing industry. China’s agriculture is suffering

Drought kills not only the river ecosystem, but also the industry. The low water level hinders, among other things, river navigation. This, in the context of rising energy and fuel prices, could have dramatic implications for transport and food production. The fishing industry and tourism will also suffer. Dry riverbeds are a poor tourist attraction.

China is also grappling with the effects of the heat. There, the drought led to a significant decrease in the level of the Yangtze. According to CNN, citing data from the Hubei Provincial Crisis Management Department, 4.2 million people in Hubei province reported

for damage caused by the ongoing drought in the region. Over 150,000 people have difficulty accessing drinking water. There is also a shortage of water for irrigating farmland, which affects rice crops. The crisis management team estimated that about 400,000 people were killed. ha of fields. This, in turn, will lead to higher prices and may lead to famine.

China sows clouds

The Chinese are trying to fight the drought with silver iodide bullets. They shoot them at the clouds to create ice crystals.. This, in turn, is expected to help clouds generate more rain, increasing moisture content and the likelihood of it being released.

Sowing clouds, or the literal translation “sow, sow clouds.” not a new method. It was developed already in the 1940s and was used by various countries, including the USA, Germany, Russia, the UAE, Australia and the already mentioned China. The weather modification program there is one of the most advanced in the world.

China used cloud seeding in Beijing shortly before the 2008 Olympics. This was done to prevent rain during the Olympic season. Snow was later developed using silver iodide cartridges. Before the celebration of the centenary of the Communist Party in July 2021 rain was produced in the same way, which improved the quality of the air. Cloud seeding is now expected to help in Hubei province.

Is cloud filling safe and effective?

Numerous scientific studies show that cloud seeding does not have a negative impact on the environment, and is also safe for humans. However, scientists argue about the effectiveness of the method. Some studies claim that it has no or minimal effect on rainfall and rainfall.

A nightmare scenario for Poland. It means big problems.

Others argue that it’s quite the opposite. Thus, a study conducted in a pilot program to change the weather in the US state of Wyoming showed that cloud seeding increases the increase in snow cover by 3%. in the seasons. The American National Academy of Sciences (NAS) also conducted its study. In 2003, scientists there concluded that “it is difficult to clearly demonstrate that cloud dissipation has a very large effect on precipitation.” (ceo/hs)

San is dry! Shocking photos show how bad it is in Bieszczady

This article was first published on Fakt on August 18, 2022.