Dubai doesn’t have natural rain, so they made some
Already, after only a week of blistering sun, the UK has had enough. Besides a few utterly sociopathic people who enjoy this weather, the rest of us want to be permanently glued to a beer garden with a glass of Pimms in hand. But in places such as Dubai, where they receive an average of four inches of rain a year, heat is just an everyday part of life. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to change that.
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It is reported that the UAE invested $15 million in nine different rain-making projects in 2017, and it definitely looks to be paying off.
On Sunday, the UAE’s national weather service released video footage of the heavy rainfall. Its cloud seeding operations are truly next level matrix stuff. Pick your favourite Sci-Fi franchise and it’s guaranteed they use similar technology.
But how does it work?
Specially programmed drones release electrical charges into clouds in order for them to become condensed and produce rain. So basically, it’s sorcery.
Though I am still convinced there is a middle eastern Gandalf somewhere out there creating the rain, these sudden downpours can be attributed to the University of Reading here in the UK. Professor Maarten Ambaum, who worked on the project, told the BBC that the UAE has enough clouds to create conditions conducive to rain.
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He told the BBC that electrical charges merge the droplets together, which in turn makes them heavier.
“When the drops merge and are big enough, they will fall as rain”, Prof Ambaum told the BBC.
It is such a step forward in cultivating weather to suit a countries individual needs. The applications of this technology could genuinely change life as we know. Though we may be sweltering here, think of all the countries that never have access to clean water, rain, or sanitary facilities. But selfishly, surely I can get said drone on Amazon? Bezos does everything.
