00:00Gulf News takes a closer look at the scientific process of cloud seeding in the UAE and what
00:06it all means.
00:07Over the last few years, the NCM was able to give Mother Nature a helping hand with
00:11some science and accelerate the annual rainfall with its cloud seeding project.
00:15The UAE was one of the first countries in the Arabian Gulf to adopt cloud seeding technology.
00:20The program initially began at the end of 1990, but by the end of 2000, the fully-fledged
00:26was carried out in cooperation with a number of organizations and institutes, including
00:30the U.S. space agency NASA.
00:32It's now standard practice for the NCM's cloud seeding section to use a sophisticated
00:36weather surveillance radar, or WSR, which is responsible for monitoring the atmospheric
00:41pressure around the clock.
00:43Cloud seeding missions can only be carried out with cumulus cloud formations, so once
00:47they're identified, the NCM will quickly launch aircrafts carrying salt crystals mixed
00:52with magnesium, sodium chloride and potassium chloride that are shot into the skies.
00:56The salt crystal flares then encourage the formation and release of cloud moisture, which
01:00then turn into precipitation.
01:02The cloud seeding mission is not constrained by seasons and is carried out throughout the
01:06year whenever seedable clouds are detected, so while the project may boost the amount
01:10of rainfall, it cannot take all the credit for all of the rainfall, as the global success
01:14rate of cloud seeding lies between 15 and 30 percent.
01:18While the rainmaking project continues to be studied by countries around the world,
01:22the UAE remains at the forefront in paving the way for international cloud seeding research.
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