UAE teams with NASA and NCAR to pioneer advanced cloud seeding technology

The United Arab Emirates have partnered with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and NASA to develop a cloud seeding program methodology. What is it?

Rising global temperatures are putting additional strain on regions like the Middle East, which are highly vulnerable to climate change effects. These countries are dealing with a severe water shortage issue.

It turns out that the solution emerged in the 1990s when the United Arab Emirates adopted the method of enhancing precipitation, known as cloud seeding. This weather manipulation technique was reported by cnbc.com.

This method involves sending airplanes equipped with special flares, or firing projectiles from ground-based cannons similar to rocket launchers into the sky. They release silver iodide or other particles with a structure akin to ice (e.g., dry ice) into the clouds. The ice particles then grow within the cloud. Once they become large and heavy enough, they fall to the ground as rain or snow.

In the United Arab Emirates, the average annual rainfall is less than 200 mm (about 8 inches), which starkly contrasts with London's average of around 1,040 mm (about 41 inches) and Singapore's 3,020 mm (around 119 inches). Extreme heat can worsen the water scarcity issue and limit the country's agricultural productivity - according to the report.

The United Nations predicts that by 2025, 1.8 billion people globally will face severe water shortages. However, the Middle East is particularly affected by water scarcity, with about 83% of the region's population living in areas with a high level of water shortage. Thus, this program aims to address this critical issue.

At the start of the 21st century, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, allocated around £15 million for cloud seeding research. The United Arab Emirates collaborated with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and NASA to develop a cloud seeding program methodology.

During a visit to the National Meteorological Center of the United Arab Emirates, General Director Abdulla Al Mandous told CNBC that the technology "is founded on scientific principles."

He noted that the Abu Dhabi program doesn't use silver iodide, a crystalline material commonly used in other countries and criticized for its potential environmental and societal impacts. However, there's no substantial proof that it causes toxic effects at the levels used.

- In our specialized aircraft, we only use natural salts and avoid all harmful chemical substances - the organization mentioned in a discussion with the website.

Al Mandous highlighted that the center has begun producing its proprietary inoculating agent named nanomaterial, a fine salt coated with titanium oxide, proving more effective than the materials currently in use. - This results in three times more effective outcomes than with hygroscopic flares - he remarked.

The nanomaterial is presently under trials and experiments in various atmospheres, in both the United Arab Emirates and the USA.