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]

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

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[citation needed]

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

References

  1. ^ a b c d Farahat, A.; Abuelgasim, A. (2022-02-01). "Effect of cloud seeding on aerosol properties and particulate matter variability in the United Arab Emirates". International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 19 (2): 951–968. doi:10.1007/s13762-020-03057-5. ISSN 1735-2630. S2CID 231877327.
  2. ^ Ćurić, Mladjen; Lompar, Miloš; Romanic, Djordje; Zou, Linda; Liang, Haoran (June 2019). "Three-Dimensional Modelling of Precipitation Enhancement by Cloud Seeding in Three Different Climate Zones". Atmosphere. 10 (6): 294. Bibcode:2019Atmos..10..294C. doi:10.3390/atmos10060294. ISSN 2073-4433.
  3. ^ Cloud Seeding, National Center of Meteorology & Seismology, United Arab Emirates
  4. ^ "UAE's Rain Enhancement Program Addresses Key Technical Challenges". Water Online. 22 April 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Is the UAE Really Making It Rain by Seeding Clouds?". www.vice.com. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  6. ^ a b c Kumar, Kondapalli Niranjan; Suzuki, Kentaroh (2019-07-01). "Assessment of seasonal cloud properties in the United Arab Emirates and adjoining regions from geostationary satellite data". Remote Sensing of Environment. 228: 90–104. Bibcode:2019RSEnv.228...90K. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2019.04.024. ISSN 0034-4257. S2CID 149915588.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Al Hosari, Taha; Al Mandous, Abdulla; Wehbe, Youssef; Shalaby, Abdeltawab; Al Shamsi, Noor; Al Naqbi, Hajer; Al Yazeedi, Omar; Al Mazroui, Alya; Farrah, Sufian (August 2021). "The UAE Cloud Seeding Program: A Statistical and Physical Evaluation". Atmosphere. 12 (8): 1013. Bibcode:2021Atmos..12.1013A. doi:10.3390/atmos12081013. ISSN 2073-4433.
  8. ^ a b "UAE leverages cloud seeding to tackle water scarcity locally, regionally and globally". wam. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  9. ^ "The UAE's Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy - The Official Portal of the UAE Government". u.ae. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  10. ^ Almansoori, Helal; badran, Abdullah (2020-08-26). "Cloud Seeding In The UAE Research Paper". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b c "Cloud Seeding In The UAE Research Paper". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  12. ^ "Prize for Excellence in Advancing the Science and Practice of Weather Modification - Commission for Atmospheric Sciences" (PDF). WMO.int.
  13. ^ Kazmi, Aftab. (8 May 2008) Cloud seeding experiment has thundering success" Gulf News. Retrieved 3 April 2012
  14. ^ Sanburn, Josh. (3 January 2011) Scientists create 52 artificial rain storms in Abu Dhabi desert" Time News Feed. Retrieved 3 April 2012
  15. ^ "UAE research programme for rain enhancement science". public.wmo.int. 2016-05-03. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  16. ^ Farrah, S.; Al Yazidi, O. (2016-12-01). "Achieve a Better Understanding of Cloud and Precipitation Processes for the Promotion of Water Security in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 2016: A41E–0083. Bibcode:2016AGUFM.A41E0083F.
  17. ^ "UAE mulls cloud seeding to enhance rainfall". Gulf News. 29 March 2007.
  18. ^ "Cloud Seeding, Studies and Assessment". National Center of Meteorology and Seismology.
  19. ^ "Cloud Seeding". National Center of Meteorology and Seismology official website.
  20. ^ "Revealed: $558,000 spent on UAE cloud-seeding operations last year". Arabian Business. 28 April 2016.
  21. ^ Duncan, Gillian. "How does cloud-seeding in the UAE work?". The National. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  22. ^ "Rain in UAE: UAE tests efficiency of new cloud seeding material in Texas". gulfnews.com. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  23. ^ "UAE to test cloud-busting drones to boost rainfall". BBC. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  24. ^ a b "How the UAE is making it rain". Esquire. 1 May 2015.
  25. ^ "Flooded UAE counts cost of epic rainstorm, airport still facing disruptions". Reuters. 18 April 2024.
  26. ^ Mackenzie, Laura (11 January 2020). "Bringing in the rain: Has the UAE's cloud-seeding program gone too far?". WIRED. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  27. ^ "UAE to spend $136.1 million on infrastructure after floods". Reuters. 22 January 2020.
  28. ^ Almheiri, Khalid B.; Rustum, Rabee; Wright, Grant; Adeloye, Adebayo J. (January 2021). "Study of Impact of Cloud-Seeding on Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves of Sharjah City, the United Arab Emirates". Water. 13 (23): 3363. doi:10.3390/w13233363. ISSN 2073-4441.
  29. ^ Poynting, Mark; Silva, Marco (2024-04-17). "What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai flooding?". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  30. ^ Borenstein, Seth; Peterson, Brittany (2024-04-17). "Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour". AP News. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  31. ^ Canon, Gabrielle (2024-04-17). "Don't blame cloud seeding for the Dubai floods". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  32. ^ "Dubai Grinds to Standstill as Cloud Seeding Worsens Flooding". Bloomberg.com. 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  33. ^ Vlamis, Kelsey. "Photos of torrential Dubai flash floods show the downsides of trying to control the weather". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  34. ^ "Did controversial 'cloud seeding' flights cause torrential downpours and huge flooding in Dubai?". LBC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  35. ^ McCabe, Kirsty (2024-04-18). "Dubai floods and cloud seeding". Royal Meteorological Society. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  36. ^ "What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai flooding?". 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  37. ^ Cornwell, Alexander (2024-04-18). "What caused Dubai floods? Experts cite climate change, not cloud seeding". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  38. ^ Knapton, Sarah (18 April 2024). "Reading University denies causing flooding in Dubai". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  39. ^ Rubin, Alissa J.; Denton, Bryan (2022-08-28). "Cloud Wars: Mideast Rivalries Rise Along a New Front". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
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