Through the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) in the UAE has launched a field campaign called ‘Cloud-Aerosol-Electrical Interactions for Rainfall Enhancement Experiment (CLOUDIX)’ to investigate the effectiveness of various cloud seeding materials, both with and without an electric charge. The effort will be carried out in partnership with Stratton Park Engineering business (SPEC), a business headquartered in the United States that specialises in cloud physics research and instrumentation.
Coordinated flight flights will be carried out by NCM’s cloud seeding aircraft and SPEC’s research Learjet aircraft. The campaign’s purpose is to investigate the effect of diverse cloud seeding technologies, including those containing electric charges, on increasing rainfall. The research will help to improve water security in the UAE and solve water sustainability issues.
The effort will include cloud physics research and data analysis training for NCM workers. Ahmad Al Kamali, an NCM Rain Operations Executor, will be critical in guaranteeing the operation of the electric charge emitter he created. Collaboration with the University of Reading will also be part of the mission to analyse data from aircraft sensors and probes.
The initiative will encompass many phases of inquiry and measurement to understand the influence of different cloud seeding materials on increasing rainfall and will help to the UAE’s efforts to address water sustainability concerns.
