Abu Dhabi - UAE's rain enhancement programme has been creating a positive impact in the region, which comes as rising temperatures are being observed.
Published: Mon 20 Jan 2020, 9:49 PM
Updated: Tue 21 Jan 2020, 9:10 AM
As the UAE increases its cloud-seeding missions every year, it triggers higher volumes of rain - but not only in the Emirates. It also brings more rainshowers to nearby countries, including Oman, an expert in the region has said at a forum in the Capital.
Dr Said Al Sami, a meteorological expert at the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, said the UAE's rain enhancement programme has been creating a positive impact in the region, which comes as rising temperatures are being observed.
"There has been a significant increase in the temperature since the late 1980s, and the UAE's rain enhancement programmes are helping increase the amount of rainfall, thereby improving weather conditions in the region," said Dr Al Sami.
At the fourth International Rain Enhancement Forum, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a top UAE expert highlighted the country's success in countering its arid climate and solving water shortage issues through the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP).
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Omar Al Yazeedi, director of research and training at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), said: "Over the recent years, the country has been recording huge amounts of rain because of a combination of nature and science."
The UAE's cloud-seeding operational base is at Al Ain Airport, a site that was chosen because of its proximity to the mountains, Al Yazeedi said. While the exact volume of rains generated through cloud-seeding cannot be measured by any technology yet, the method is estimated to enhance precipitation in the cloud by 30 to 35 per cent, he added.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
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