UAE-led research tests how ice clouds could help it rain in the desert

New research aims to increase rainfall in the Emirates

Cloud seeding involves shooting salt flares into suitable clouds. Courtesy National Centre of Meteorology

It may be hard to believe, but ice in clouds over the UAE could be the answer to the nation’s lack of rainfall.

Scientists at the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement are testing new ways to leverage ice production in clouds to generate more rain and replenish underground aquifers.

The work is led by Dr Paul Lawson, who was awarded a share of a $5 million (Dh18.3m) research grant from the National Centre of Meteorology in 2017.

His research centres around ‘supercooled’ water droplets in the clouds. Supercooling, also known as undercooling, is the process of chilling water very slowly so it does not freeze and solidify at temperatures below zero degrees.

Supercooled water is often present in clouds and can be seen by travellers when ice forms on the wings of aircraft after they fly through clouds.

This gradual freezing process in the clouds creates tiny ice particles that, when they collide with the larger supercooled drops, create small hail stones. These then thaw and fall as rain.

“This is an exciting initiative that is accelerating international research in cloud seeding science and technologies,” said Dr Lawson.

“The programme has brought together some of the best minds working on cloud seeding and weather phenomena.

“It is already yielding real results through innovations and applications that could have great benefits for arid and semi-arid regions.”

Set to take place from Al Ain Airport in August, special flights will involve a custom-designed Learjet research aircraft equipped with sophisticated sensors and measurement probes to take measurements and gather data.

These test flights will determine the best places to extract the ice and how to achieve the best results.

Data will be used to assess what types of cumulus clouds are suitable for enhancing rain via this hygroscopic seeding, which is similar to existing methods used.

Early cloud seeding experiments were conducted in the 1990s with silver iodide primarily used in winter clouds to form ice crystals.

In the early 2000s, cloud seeding experiments were conducted using hygroscopic salts to encourage rainfall.

Seeding is used in clouds larger than a kilometre in vertical size.

Similar experiments to those completed by Dr Lawson have previously been conducted in India, South Africa, Mexico and the US.

The UAE’s subterranean water supplies are crucial for general services, agriculture and irrigation but are dwindling.

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi has since placed water scarcity as a priority for the UAE’s Vision 2021.

As one of the top 10 arid states on the planet and an increasing population, the need for water has never been a more pressing concern.

About 15 per cent of the world’s desalinated water is consumed in the Emirates, so scientists are always searching for new innovative ways to utilise natural resources.

The techniques used to extract ice from clouds are similar to procedures used in current cloud seeding operations, where salt charges are fired into cumulus clouds to produce rain.

The NCM grant offers a $5m grant over a three-year period to be shared by up to five winning research proposals that explore cloud seeding opportunities.

The programme was launched with the aims of addressing water security challenges in the UAE.

“By supporting the most innovative ideas from our awardees and the co-operation between the experts, we are developing imaginative solutions to the challenge of water scarcity,” said Alya Al Mazroui, the research programme director.