A Chinese expert on natural calamities warns, in an academic paper, that the spectacular Venus Transit on June 8 may bring about disastrous floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, China's second largest river.

Venus, the twin brother of the Earth, crossed the face of the Sun on June 8, cause a big stir among professional and amateur astronomers.

While most people were excited about the rare view of the Venus crossing the Sun, some people were pondering on its possible, negative impacts. Geng Guoqing is one of them, who is a researcher of the Special Committee on Natural Calamities Forecasting under the China Geophysics Society.

The latest issue of the Beijing-based Science and Technology Review carries Geng's thesis which is entitled "Research on Interrelation between the Venus Transit and the Flood in Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yellow River".

In his article, Geng compares the interrelation between the occurrences of Venus Transit and major floods in the middle and lower reaches of the river over the past 2,187 years. He comes to a conclusion that there is a kind of interrelation between the two phenomena and there is coherence and synchrony between them.

Normally, the Sun transmits one 2.2 billionth of its radiation to the face of the Earth. When Venus Transit occurs, it bites off part of the radiation that should have been transmitted to the face of the Earth, thus bringing a "stir" to the facial system of the Earth. Venus Transit may cause abnormal climatic activities on the Earth.

In the article, Geng supports his viewpoints by numerous figures and sketch maps.

Science and Technology Review, a leading academic periodical in the country, is attached to the China Association for Science and Technology.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2004)