Cloud-seeding planes are back in the skies over the UAE as rainfall continues to hit the country.
Ten seeding operations have taken place since Saturday and more are expected on Sunday, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) confirmed.
235 cloud-seeding operations have been carried out since the start of the year by five cloud-seeding planes, which are based in Al Ain. An individual operation can involve more than one aircraft.
Cloud-seeding is not an exact science, but it involves shooting flares of salt crystals into selected clouds in the hope that it will trigger more rainfall. When convective clouds, or towering clouds, are spotted, the NCM monitors the situation with radar and satellite images. When it is expected that clouds will develop in a few hours, the NCM informs a pilot of the projected position of the cloud as well as the updraft, where they will fire the flares as they should burn there only.
In theory, water vapour then condenses around these salt particles, crystallises to form ice and then falls as rain.
Unstable weather hit the country on Friday and continued through the weekend, with heavy rain lashing many parts of the country, especially in the east. It is expected to last until Monday.
The NCM is still collecting data on how much rain has fallen over the past few days. Rain enhancement operations have largely focused on the mountainous areas in the north-east of the country.
The UAE’s cloud-seeding programme began in the 1990s and seeding planes fly regularly, including when storms hit the country earlier this year and in March last year. Yet it’s hard to prove exactly how much rain the seeding stimulates.
“Cloud-seeding is very complicated, especially when you are trying to compare between years,” said Dr Ahmad Habib of the NCM.
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According to the NCM, only natural salts and no harmful chemicals are used in the process.
The United Nations has predicted that half the world’s population will be short of water by 2030. The UAE has a very low annual rainfall and groundwater supplies are being depleted. The country launched the Research Programme for Rain Enhancement in 2015 to find new ways to increase rainfall. It offers a yearly US$5 million (Dh18m) grant to be shared by five winning scientific proposals.
The winners of this year’s grant will be announced in January.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
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Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
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Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Thursday
Dibba v Al Dhafra, Fujairah Stadium (5pm)
Al Wahda v Hatta, Al Nahyan Stadium (8pm)
Friday
Al Nasr v Ajman, Zabeel Stadium (5pm)
Al Jazria v Al Wasl, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium (8pm)
Saturday
Emirates v Al Ain, Emirates Club Stadium (5pm)
Sharjah v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Sharjah Stadium (8pm)
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
BMW M5 specs
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