1,000 HOURS OF CLOUD SEEDING IN UAE A YEAR
FIFTH CYCLE OF RAIN ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME OFFERS GRANTS OF UP TO $1.5M PER PROJECT
The UAE has invested $18 million in rain enhancement projects, experts said on the sidelines of the International Rain Enhancement Forum in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
The UAE also performs about 1,000 hours of cloud seeding on average each year in order to supplement the minimal rainfall it receives, it was revealed.
The forum is held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court.
Shaikh Mansour, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Dr Abdullah Al Mandous, director-general of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), said: “The UAE continues to deliver on its commitment to adopting innovation as a core component of in its government, scientific and economic agenda in support of global environmental goals, particularly those related to climate change and water security.”
‘Weather factory’
Dr Al Mandous, in his own remarks, said: “As the preparation for COP28 are in full swing, we are keen to be part of this momentum by exploring innovative solutions for rain enhancement by finding ways to accelerate the transition from research to real applications. The Emirates Weather Enhancement Factory is a perfect example of such applications.”
Omar Al Yazeedi, deputy director-general at NCM, said:“On average, the UAE receives just 79 millimetres of rainfall in a year so there is a lot of work that has to be done to ensure water security. Cloud seeding is just one of the ways the UAE works to ensure water security.” In contrast, the globally averaged annual precipitation is about 700 millimetres.
Safety concerns
Al Yazeedi dismissed claims that cloud seeding activity could be hazardous.
“The amount of salts we use is [minimal]. In terms of size, the clouds that we seed are 100x50km wide, and at least 18km from top to base. That’s more than nine times the size of Burj Khalifa. When we inject the salt, it is nothing in amount compared to the composition and concentration of salts in the atmosphere. So there is no side effect of the hygroscopic flares used, he said.
Rain enhancement projects
Meanwhile, the UAE Rain Enhancement Programme (UAEREP) launched its fifth cycle at the Forum, with awardees to be announced in January 2024. The programme offers a grant of up to $1.5 million distributed over three years for each winning research proposal. Registration is open till March 9 and pre-proposals should be submitted by March 16.
Global expertise
Dr Alya Al Mazroui, UAEREP director at the NCM, said: “UAEREP has so far provided more than $18 million in funding to 11 projects that combine the expertise of 188 researchers from 31 institutions. In this cycle, we are excited to support game-changing projects focussing on cloud formation and rain enhancement.”
One of the projects awarded in the first cycle has helped develop nanomaterial aerosols for cloud seeding that can significantly increase precipitation in arid climates with low humidity, and Dr Al Mazroui said the NCM had recently increased its production of these flares.
We are keen to explore innovative solutions for rain enhancement by finding ways to accelerate the transition from research to real applications.”
Dr Abdullah Al Mandous | Director-general of NCM
Artificial clouds?
Another exciting project last February tested the possibility of artificial cloud formation during field trials conducted in Jebel Jais. It was led by Dr Ali Abshaev, UAEREP third cycle awardee and senior researcher at the Hail Suppression Research Centre in Russia.
Dr Steven Griffiths, senior vice-president of research and development at Khalifa University, said. “To put it simply, it involved an upside down engine spraying solutions into the atmosphere to see if we can form a cloud that can be used for rainfall on demand.”