How soon can we expect rain in the UAE?

Transcript

00:00Gulf News takes a closer look at the scientific process of cloud seeding in the UAE and what

00:06it all means.

00:07Over the last few years, the NCM was able to give Mother Nature a helping hand with

00:11some science and accelerate the annual rainfall with its cloud seeding project.

00:15The UAE was one of the first countries in the Arabian Gulf to adopt cloud seeding technology.

00:20The program initially began at the end of 1990, but by the end of 2000, the fully-fledged

00:26was carried out in cooperation with a number of organizations and institutes, including

00:30the U.S. space agency, NASA.

00:32It's now standard practice for the NCM's cloud seeding section to use a sophisticated weather

00:37surveillance radar, or WSR, which is responsible for monitoring the atmospheric pressure around

00:42the clock.

00:43Cloud seeding missions can only be carried out with cumulus cloud formations, so once

00:47they're identified, the NCM will quickly launch aircrafts carrying salt crystals mixed

00:52with magnesium, sodium chloride and potassium chloride that are shot into the skies.

00:57The salt crystal flares then encourage the formation and release of cloud moisture, which

01:00then turn into precipitation.

01:02The cloud seeding mission is not constrained by seasons and is carried out throughout the

01:06year whenever seedable clouds are detected.

01:08So while the project may boost the amount of rainfall, it cannot take all the credit

01:12for all of the rainfall, as the global success rate of cloud seeding lies between 15 and

01:1730 percent.

01:18While the rainmaking project continues to be studied by countries around the world,

01:22the UAE remains at the forefront in paving the way for international cloud seeding research.