Dubai Is Creating Artificial Rain Storms to Combat Heat, So Geostorm Is Real I Guess
The idea of controlling the weather may sound like something right out of a Hollywood blockbuster, [...]
The idea of controlling the weather may sound like something right out of a Hollywood blockbuster, but as temperatures continue to rise it's something that scientists in the United Arab Emirates are making a reality. In Dubai, the government is using cloud seeding methods to artificially create rainstorms to combat the extreme heat. Recently, weather officials for the UAE shared a video on Instagram showing heavy rains in the region, the result of the program.
The scientists are using electrical charges via drones in order to force The UAW is a desert nation that usually receives a total of four inches of rain per year. But with temperatures in Dubai consistently going above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the government hopes these artificially created storms will help combat some of the heat. rainfall. Attempts to modify weather have been ongoing for decades, but what is being used in the UAE is a newer method of cloud seeding and comes without some of the environmental issues posed by other methods but it may also have larger applications. Because the method creates large raindrops, this form of cloud seeding could help alleviate drought as well.
"It's moving to think that the rainfall technology I saw today, which is still being developed, may someday support countries in water-scarce environments like the UAE," Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the U.K. Mansoor Abulhoul said after a demonstration of the technology during a visit to the University of Reading in May (via CBS News).
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The UAE is among the first country in the Gulf region to utilize cloud seeding technology to combat climate concerns in the region, according to the National Center of Meteorology. However, the Gulf isn't the only part of the world that is employing cloud seeding technology. At least eight states in the western United States, as well as other countries around the world, are using various cloud seeding technologies to increase precipitation, according to Scientific American.
"Certainly we're in a better position now to address that question than we were 10 years ago," atmospheric scientist at the University of Wyoming Jeff French said. "The state of the science has progressed to the point that it is a question that we can and should be trying to address now."
What do you think about the use of cloud seeding to manipulate rainfall? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: Rustam Azmi/Getty Images