A new method of cloud seeding is being tested in a bid to increase rainfall in the UAE.
Specially-designed nanomaterials are being sprayed into clouds to determine if they are more effective than existing materials.
The country's Research Programme for Rain Enhancement released details of the latest missions on Saturday.
It has deployed a custom-designed Learjet on flights from Al Ain Airport to cloud formations over the Northern Emirates and east regions. Specially-designed shell composites - tiny particles intended to boost cloud condensation - are then released into the clouds via flares.
In the past five years the UAE has set aside millions of dollars for rain enhancement research and given grants to leading researchers across the globe. The country has run cloud seeding missions for about 20 years, including more than 240 flights in 2017.
Professor Linda Zou, a professor at Khalifa University and one of the three awardees of the programme's first round of grants in 2016, said the team hopes to see results.
"Nanotechnology opens up the possibility of engineering unique cloud seeding particles to make the process of water condensation and rain precipitation more efficient," she said.
Until now simple salt crystals have been used with some success.
Laboratory experiments have suggested the material has a "much higher ability to initiate condensation of water vapour and droplet growth" in the clouds than the salt crystals currently used, a news release from the centre said, and the tests will determine whether it works in reality.
The National Centre of Meteorology previously said seeding operations have led to a 30 to 35 per cent increase in rainfall in ‘clean’ skies, and up to 15 per cent in a dusty atmosphere. Because the UAE is so sandy, the latter is more common.
Nanotechnology opens up the possibility of engineering unique cloud seeding particles to make the process of water condensation and rain precipitation more efficient
The process involves planes fitted with special flares that are loaded with salt crystals and fired into convective, or warm, clouds that have an updraft — or rising current of air.
The updraft then sucks up the salt crystals into the cloud, and they attract tiny particles of water that collide, becoming heavier and then falling as rain.
Although techniques have become more effective over the decades, the principle behind cloud seeding has barely changed since 1946, when a chemist with General Electric caused snow to fall after dropping dry ice into a cloud.
Silver iodide, an alternative, is now commonly used in colder conditions, while in warmer temperatures sodium chloride - salt - particles are preferred.
Alya Al Mazroui, director of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement, said the project is "generating new knowledge with real-world applications".
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Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
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The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
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Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
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Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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