Understanding Dubai’s Artificial Rain and Flooding: The Connection to Chaotic Weather in the UAE

Cloud seeding, a form of weather modification aimed at increasing precipitation, has potential benefits, but also raises concerns about its impact. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where annual rainfall averages less than 200 millimetres and temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius, water resources are under immense pressure due to heavy reliance on groundwater sources. To address this, the UAE has pioneered innovative solutions, including cloud seeding.

The process begins with weather forecasters monitoring atmospheric conditions and identifying suitable clouds for seeding based on precipitation patterns. The UAE has collaborated with scientific and technical research institutions to bolster its cloud seeding program. The Rain Enhancement Program (UAEREP), managed by the Emirates’ National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), spearheads the cloud seeding efforts.

Scientists have focused on analyzing the physical and chemical characteristics of the UAE’s atmosphere to identify an effective agent for stimulating cloud growth and augmenting rainfall. Specialized aircraft equipped with hygroscopic flares are used to disperse seeding agents into the clouds. The salt particles released from the flares serve as nuclei around which water droplets condense, eventually leading to precipitation in the form of rain.

The NCM has established a national network of automatic weather stations, weather radars, and an upper air station to monitor weather conditions and ensure safety and sustainability of cloud seeding operations. Unlike some other countries’ cloud seeding programs that use silver iodide, which raises environmental concerns, the UAE’s program refrains from using harmful chemicals and instead employs natural salts as seeding agents. The NCM has developed its own seeding agent known as nano material, consisting of fine salt coated with titanium oxide, currently undergoing trials to assess its effectiveness in enhancing precipitation.

Despite the potential benefits of cloud seeding, concerns have been raised about its impact, including worries about the escalating influence of climate change on extreme weather phenomena in the area. Some have also cautioned against “tinkering” with nature, pointing to exceptional weather conditions and unprecedented floods as nature’s way of “pushing back” against human intervention.