Cloud seeding in the United Arab Emirates

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Cloud seeding in the United Arab Emirates is a weather modification technique used by the government to address water challenges in the country. Cloud seeding is also referred to as man made precipitation and artificial rain making. [1] The United Arab Emirates is one of the first countries in the Persian Gulf region to use cloud seeding technology. UAE scientists use cloud seeding technology to supplement the country's water insecurity, which stems from the extremely hot climate. [2] They use weather radars to continuously monitor the atmosphere of the country. [3] Forecasters and scientists have estimated that cloud seeding operations can enhance rainfall by as much as 30-35% percent in a clear atmosphere, and up to 10-15% in a more humid atmosphere. [4] This practice has caused concerns regarding the impact on the environment because it is difficult to predict the long-term global implications. [5]

Contents

Cloud seeding rains in Dubai[ citation needed ]

Climate needs

The UAE has an arid climate with less than 100mm per year of rainfall, a high evaporation rate of surface water and a low groundwater recharge rate. Rainfall in the UAE has been fluctuating over the last few decades in winter season between December and March.

The climate of the UAE is a very dry region aside from the coast and the border of the UAE and Oman, where there is high humidity. [6] The UAE is located in a dust hotspot that contributes to the arid climate. [7] There is little to no rainfall, due to frontal systems from the west and northwest, which yields few inches of rainfall per year. [6] [5] This lack of rainfall has scientists and the government worried about water security in the future. [5]

Due to industrialization and population growth, the demand for water has rapidly increased. [7] Current resources are being depleted and scarcity issues are arising. [8] [6] As a result, the UAE is looking to cloud seeding technologies to increase water security as well as renewability to combat water and food scarcity that may arise. [8] [9]

History

Scientists have been experimenting with cloud seeding technology since the 1940s. [10] The cloud-seeding program in the UAE was initiated in the late 1990s, as one of the first Middle Eastern countries to utilize this technique. [11] In 2005, the UAE launched the UAE Prize for Excellence in Advancing the Science and Practice of Weather Modification in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization [12] (WMO). In 2010, cloud seeding began as a project by weather authorities to create artificial rain. [13] The project, which began in July 2010 and cost $11 million USD, succeeded in creating rain storms in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi deserts. [14]

Government involvement

The UAE government developed a research program called the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) in 2015. [11] [7] It allows scientists and researchers to pitch their potential solutions and conduct research to improve the accuracy of cloud seeding technology. [15] After pitching research proposals, scientists are awarded grants through the UAEREP. [7] Among its key goals are advancing the science, technology, and implementation of rain enhancement and encouraging additional investments in research funding and research partnerships to advance the field, increasing rainfall and ensuring water security globally. [16] By early 2001, the UAEREP was conducting research projects in cooperation with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the U.S., the Witwatersrand University in South Africa, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) in the U.S. [17]

The Program for Rain Enhancement Science is an initiative of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Presidential Affairs. It is overseen by the UAE National Center of Meteorology & Seismology [18] (NCMS) based in Abu Dhabi. [19]

In 2014, a total of 187 missions was sent to seed clouds in the UAE with each aircraft taking about three hours to target five to six clouds at a cost of $3,000 per operation. [20] In 2017, the UAE had 214 missions, [21] and in 2018, it had 184 missions, and 247 missions were launched in 2019. [11] Tests of new technologies were done in 2020 with partners in the United States to test the use of nanomaterials for seeding. [22]

Technology

Beechcraft King Air C90 used for cloud seeding operations OH-BAX, Beechcraft C90 King Air (17802311604).jpg
Beechcraft King Air C90 used for cloud seeding operations

The augmentation of rainfall considers both the ground-based and airborne processes that occur in different rain cloud types (but generally focused on convective clouds). The UAE utilizes operational aircraft-based and drone-controlled hygroscopic cloud seeding as opposed to conventional randomized aircraft seeding, as it does not take into consideration the varying properties of rain clouds, especially present in dusty and arid regions like the UAE. [7] Since 2021, the devices have been equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments and customized sensors that fly at low altitudes and deliver an electric charge to air molecules. [23] Hygroscopic cloud seeding uses natural salts such as potassium chloride and sodium chloride that pre-exist in the atmosphere with hygroscopic flares. By introducing Hygroscopic particles, it enhances the natural rain particles which begins a collision-coalescence process. [7]

At present, the UAE mostly cloud seeds in the eastern mountains on the border to Oman to raise levels in aquifers and reservoirs. [24]   The country has 75 networked automatic weather stations distributed across the country UAE, 7 air quality stations, a Doppler weather radar network of five stationary and one mobile radar, and six Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft distributed across the country for cloud seeding operations. [24]

Environmental impact

Flooding

It is predicted that climate change will lead to higher temperatures, increased humidity and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region. These issues could be worsened in nations like the UAE which do not have adequate drainage infrastructure to manage heavy rainfall. [25]

A flooded street in Dubai in 2020 during the cloud seeding rains Dubai flooded street.jpg
A flooded street in Dubai in 2020 during the cloud seeding rains

Cloud seeding activities conducted in 2019 by the UAE National Center of Meteorology (NCM) as part of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science were carried out prior to floods in Dubai in 2019. Although the NCM has linked heavier rainfall to cloud seeding operations, they assert it was not the cause of the flooding. Commercial and residential areas were severely impacted and pumps were needed to remove excess water due to inadequate drainage systems because drainage systems could not handle the volume of water. [26] The UAE planned to invest 500 million dirhams ($136.1 million) on flood protection and transport infrastructure after severe storms in 2020. [27]

Sharjah, one of the most populous cities in the UAE, has experienced repetitive urban flooding during the rainy season over the last three decades. Possible additional increased rainfall intensity due to cloud seeding would require additional investment in the city's drainage systems to mitigate flood risk. [28]

April 2024 floods

Experts are doubtful that cloud seeding played a role in the UAE's April 2024 floods, suggesting that the heavy rainfall was more likely caused by anthropogenic climate change. [29] [30] [31]

This section is an excerpt from 2024 Persian Gulf floods § Cloud seeding allegations.[ edit ]

In the aftermath of the floods, some news outlets quoted specialist meteorologist Ahmed Habib linking the heavy downpours to the UAE's cloud seeding program. [32] Due to the arid desert climate and high temperatures, cloud seeding has been used previously in the United Arab Emirates in order to combat water scarcity. [33]

Dismissing the allegations, Omar Al Yazeedi, the deputy director-general of the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), said the institution "did not conduct any seeding operations during this event". [34] Other news commentators have also dismissed the link to cloud seeding, stating that the technology marginally increases rainfall and that the UAE's cloud seeding program is localised to the eastern part of the country, away from densely populated metropolitan areas; other experts, such as the Royal Meteorological Society, stated that cloud seeding would only have a minimal effect, [35] with others even stating that the focus on cloud seeding is "misleading". [36] [37]

Scientists from the University of Reading, whose cloud seeding program is used by the UAE, denied that cloud seeding was to blame for the heavy rainfall, given that the large-scale weather pattern was predicted in advance and was too large to be influenced by cloud seeding. They added that the effects of cloud seeding are typically short-lived, lasting for a few hours. [38]

Atmospheric aerosols

Cloud seeding missions require firing salts and silver iodide crystals into the atmosphere. [39] The increased concentration of particulate matter, or micro-pollutants, increases risk for respiratory illnesses.[ citation needed ] In 2017, a study was conducted before and after cloud seeding missions, which recorded an increase of particulate matter, correlating to the months of active artificial rain. [1] Researchers attribute this to left over silver iodine crystals that were not dispersed in the rain during the cloud seeding months. [1] A study was conducted called the UAE Unified Aerosol Experiment (UAE2) to assess the progress and effectiveness of cloud seeding specifically in the UAE. [7] Researchers found a significant increase in rainfall trends in areas with cloud seeding. [7] More recently, over 20 regions in the UAE that participated in cloud seeding experiments have a higher concentration of particulate matter. [5] [1] The overall environmental impact of cloud seeding is difficult measure due to the inability to perform controlled experiments along with the difficulty in direct tracing. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the United Arab Emirates</span> List of the United Arab Emirates geographical features

The United Arab Emirates is situated in the Middle East and West Asia, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is at a strategic location along the northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil. The UAE lies between 22°50′ and 26° north latitude and between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude. It shares a 19 km (12 mi) border with Qatar on the northwest, a 530 km (330 mi) border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a 450 km (280 mi) border with Oman on the southeast and northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weather modification</span> Act of intentionally altering or manipulating the weather

Weather modification is the act of intentionally manipulating or altering the weather. The most common form of weather modification is cloud seeding, which increases rainfall or snowfall, usually for the purpose of increasing the local water supply. Weather modification can also have the goal of preventing damaging weather, such as hail or hurricanes, from occurring; or of provoking damaging weather against an enemy, as a tactic of military or economic warfare like Operation Popeye, where clouds were seeded to prolong the monsoon in Vietnam. Weather modification in warfare has been banned by the United Nations under the Environmental Modification Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Precipitation</span> Product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor, so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called showers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud seeding</span> Method that condenses clouds to cause rainfall

Cloud seeding is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation, mitigate hail or disperse fog. The usual objective is to increase rain or snow, either for its own sake or to prevent precipitation from occurring in days afterward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud condensation nuclei</span> Small particles on which water vapor condenses

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCNs), also known as cloud seeds, are small particles typically 0.2 µm, or one hundredth the size of a cloud droplet. CCNs are a unique subset of aerosols in the atmosphere on which water vapour condenses. This can affect the radiative properties of clouds and the overall atmosphere. Water vapour requires a non-gaseous surface to make the transition to a liquid; this process is called condensation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Precipitation types</span> Characters, formations, and phases of water condensed in the atmosphere

In meteorology, the different types of precipitation often include the character, formation, or phase of the precipitation which is falling to ground level. There are three distinct ways that precipitation can occur. Convective precipitation is generally more intense, and of shorter duration, than stratiform precipitation. Orographic precipitation occurs when moist air is forced upwards over rising terrain and condenses on the slope, such as a mountain.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain</span> Precipitation in the form of water droplets

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Dubai</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Dubai</span>

Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates and is roughly at sea level. The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at 25.2697°N 55.3095°E and covers an area of 1,588 sq mi (4,110 km2), which represents a significant expansion beyond its initial 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) designation due to land reclamation from the sea.

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. This rapid urbanization has led to many environmental issues, because of the harsh environment, paucity of local resources such as food, water, and building materials, and the unplanned manner of expansion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emirates Mars Mission</span> Space exploration probe mission to Mars

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Center for Biosaline Agriculture</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in the United Arab Emirates</span>

Environmental issues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are caused by the exploitation of natural resources, rapid population growth, and high energy demand. The continuing temperature rise caused by global warming contributes to UAE's water scarcity, drought, rising sea level, and aridity. The UAE has a hot desert climate, which is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change and contributes to worsening water scarcity, quality, and water contamination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rainmaking Project</span> Thai artificial rainmaking project

The Thailand Royal Rainmaking Project was initiated in November 1955 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thai farmers repeatedly suffered the effects of drought. The king resolved to do something about it and proposed a solution to the dearth of rain: artificial rainmaking, or cloud seeding. The program is run by the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Persian Gulf floods</span> Flooding in the Persian Gulf in April 2024

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United Arab Emirates floods</span>

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References

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