With heaters, artificial fog and seats that shake to mimic a volcano or earthquake, the National Centre of Meteorology’s “science dome” is designed to create an immersive experience.
It has five projectors, enough seats for 60 people and a special effects system that can take visitors on a 4D journey through extreme and unusual weather from the comfort of their chairs.
We would like to make the public and all people understand the real situation over the country
Omar Al Yazeedi
The dome, which is 12 metres in diameter, opened on Tuesday at the NCM’s headquarters in Al Shawamekh, Abu Dhabi. It is a key part of the weather bureau’s strategy to report the diverse weather systems of the region.
It is also envisaged that the centre will operate as scientific facility where meteorologists can assess weather data, forecasting and geophysics in a more accessible way.
“Any tool that can help people understand weather, we will utilise,” Omar Al Yazeedi, director of research, development and training at the NCM, told The National.
“We think [the dome] is a very important way to make the public understand weather phenomena better. It is a canvas.”
Construction took about a year despite the challenges brought by Covid-19. The facility will welcome school trips and members of the public. A website will be launched soon for people to book.
The dome will also bring complex NCM programmes such as cloud seeding to life. The bureau first established the programme in the 1990s. It involves salt flares being fired into the updraft of clouds to trigger more rainfall. The programme has since expanded. In 2015, the UAE established the Research Programme for Rain Enhancement to look into ways to tackle water security by awarding grants to researchers.
“Seeding is one of the key projects of the NCM,” said Mr Al Yazeedi. “We have been doing it for a long time. It is working and a study on the effects of cloud seeding will be published in the future.”
But conveying the complexity of the programme to the public has proved a challenge. A film about seeding is being made for the dome. “We noticed a lot of material is just being said by scientists and we don’t have visualisations. People cannot relate as only the specialist will understand," said Mr Al Yazeedi.
Hanging on the walls of the centre are pictures illustrating the wildly different forms of weather seen in the UAE over the years. Snow, lightning and cyclones are proof the UAE has a diverse climate that is often overlooked in some coverage that speaks only of its sun.
Storms caused heavy flooding across the UAE in 2016, snow covered Ras Al Khaimah’s Jebel Jais last year and 2010’s Cyclone Phet even brought out the UAE’s surfers, who headed for the swells off Fujairah. The NCM covers this climate diversity and its social media pages have shown just how varied it can be. The sun often shines in Dubai while torrential rain hits Sharjah.
“Previously, people thought the weather was only hot, which is not true,” said Mr Al Yazeedi. “You see in the summer the amount of rain we get in the mountains and northern areas. Maybe in Abu Dhabi or Dubai or over the cities you don’t see much but people are interested.
"We would like to make the public and all people understand the real situation over the country, not the perception. We capture exactly what happens, use credible data and our reports are highly accurate. We do not go with the flow."
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
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More from Armen Sarkissian
Record breaker
- The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
- The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
- Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
- Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
- The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
- The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
- The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft
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Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
