In the halls of a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, experts gathered to address an age-old challenge: making it rain in the UAE, one of the world’s largest deserts.
Despite decades of research and millions of dollars spent, rainfall remains elusive in this arid region, home to a growing expatriate population thriving amid the harsh climate and blistering summer heat.
However, at the recent International Rain Enhancement Forum, held last month, a glimmer of hope emerged. Officials are now exploring artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance cloud seeding techniques, potentially increasing rainfall in the region’s dry skies.
Luca Delle Monache, deputy director of the Centre for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the University of California San Diego, confirmed that AI-driven cloud seeding is in its final stages. AI will feed satellite, radar, and weather data into an algorithm that predicts where seedable clouds will form over the next six hours, improving the accuracy of cloud seeding missions, which occur regularly in the UAE.
Although cloud seeding has been used for decades, AI could bring significant improvements. The technology works by using planes to fire chemicals, like salt, into clouds, encouraging the formation of larger droplets that can fall as rain.
While cloud seeding can boost rainfall by 10-15%, it requires precise timing and correct cloud conditions. Delle Monache stressed that AI could help pinpoint the right location and time to optimize the chances of success.
The UAE, with an average of only 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rainfall per year, relies heavily on desalinated water for its nearly 10 million residents. Yet, agriculture and industry also require groundwater replenished by rain.
Despite the government’s efforts to enhance rainfall, downpours remain so rare that children often cheer and rush to windows when they occur.
The country’s pursuit of rain is not new. Ordering prayers for rain is a common tradition among Gulf ruling families. Last year, the UAE witnessed a rare, heavy rainfall event, when record downpours flooded roads and shut down Dubai’s international airport for days.
The UAE’s Rain Enhancement Programme has already invested $22.5 million in grants to support innovation in cloud seeding and other rain-related technologies. Experts gathered at the forum emphasized that AI’s potential to improve weather prediction is still in its early stages.
Some caution remains, as precise data about cloud composition is often scarce due to expensive monitoring equipment.
“AI is an exciting frontier, but it is not a silver bullet,” said Marouane Temimi, associate professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. "There is still a lot of work to be done, particularly when it comes to data accuracy."
Loic Fauchon, president of the World Water Council, urged a balanced approach, emphasizing that human intelligence still plays a crucial role in tackling the challenges of water scarcity.
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