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JINAN, Aug. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese scientists succeeded in using weather
rockets to guide lightning to a specific spot on the ground in a recent
experiment carried out in east China's Shandong Province.
The experiment, conducted by scientists from the Chinese Academy of
Sci
ences and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), would help
lightning control in the region, according to Zhang Yijun, a research fellow
with CAMS.
Thousands of people are killed or wounded by lightning every year and the
economic loss caused by lightning exceeds one billion yuan (120.48 million US
dollars), according to statistics from China Meteorological Administration
indicate.
Shandong is frequently hit by thunder and lightning, Zhang said, and the
lightning-diverting technology can largely reduce the casualty rate they cause
in the future.
Zhang said when thunder storms came, lightning could strike any place at
anytime, but by shooting the guiding rocket into the air, scientists can make it
strike immediately to an assigned area.
Scientists in the experiment said the meteorological observation stations
and advanced radar network for weather forecasting established in northern
Shandong were ideal for lightning diversion.
The technology to divert lightning by rockets has only been mastered by the
United States, France, Japan, Brazil, and China, scientists said. Enditem
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