The UAE is set on its mission to make it rain after doubling its number of cloud-seeding flights in the last six years.
On Tuesday, Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, praised the country’s rain enhancement program to boost water and flood security, refilling the groundwater reserves and pushing tourism.
Ms. Al Mheri also spoke of the need to welcome more wet weather on the International Rain Enhancement Forum opening day in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE completed 311 cloud-seeing missions in 2022, acquiring around 1,000 flying hours.
This is a remarkable increase from the 177 flights completed in 2016.
What is cloud seeding?
Seeing is essentially an attempt to bring more rain from the clouds and involves shooting outbursts from the places containing elements like, say, which attract water into becoming clouds.
Experts from the National Centre of Meteorology have said previously that cloud seeding enhances rainfall by 30 percent in a clean atmosphere or by 15 percent in a dusty atmosphere. But it’s rather complex and requires more research.
Omar Al Yazeedi, Deputy General of the NCM, said it is hard to calculate how much rainfall their efforts create.
He also said on the sidelines of the three-day forum, ” We cannot answer that question; we need at least 20 years’ worth of data for giving realistic and accurate numbers and results.”
Yazidi also stated that cloud seeding is environmentally sustainable and the UAE was ” working with nature and not against it. “
He aptly added’ Everything in our operation is safe and environment friendly”.
He said that the composition and concentration of salt particles penetrating the clouds are nominal compared to the particles in the atmosphere.
Also Read: Cloud Seeding Process in UAE – Fighting Climate Change
UAE wants more rainy days
There is an average of 100 millimeters of rain each year, which gives a helping hand to Mother Nature.
The benefits of cloud seeding include generating more water for crops, expanding the general water supply, and recharging wells.
Another advantage is that it is 60 times cheaper than desalination.
Global Support for water security
The UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science encourages brilliant minds worldwide to develop innovative ways to increase rainfall.
A hi-tech framework will be built to combine satellite observations, ground-based radar, and rain gauges to extract features and generate products that could differentiate locations and cloud-seeing timings.
Experiments were completed in Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, the UAE’s highest peak at 1,934 meters – from December 24, 2021 – to January 5, 2022.
Experts performed 12 tests in different environmental conditions, from clear skies to low-level clouds, to compare seeding operations’ effects.
Recommended: UAE and Its Ideas to Save Earth – Preventing the Next Pandemic
Conclusion
The above report states how UAE is considering efforts in performing cloud seeding and how it benefits the UAE in bringing rainfall.
