International Delegation Tours 'Emirates Weather Enhancement Factory'

(@FahadShabbir)

International delegation tours 'Emirates Weather Enhancement Factory'

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Jan, 2020) The National Centre of Meteorology, NCM, today welcomed a delegation comprising several leading international and national experts, researchers, scientists and stakeholders at the Emirates Weather Enhancement Factory.

The delegation attended the 4th International Rain Enhancement Forum, organised by the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science under the NCM’s supervision from 19th-21st January 2020.

The delegation was received by Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of NCM and President of the Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organisation, WMO, along with senior officials from the centre.

The group comprised Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA; Dr. Deon Terblanche, Weather and Climate consultant at World Bank and former Director of Research at the WMO; Prof. Roelof Bruintjes, a senior scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research; Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Khalifa University, and Dr. Lulin Xue, UAEREP’s third cycle awardee, Chief Scientist at Hua Xin Chuang Zhi Science and Technology LLC and a member of the Beijing Weather Modification Office advisory panel.

It also included Richard Behnke, President at SciencePrime; Dr. Robert Robinson, Chief Scientist at SciencePrime; Prof. Taha Ourada, Professor and Chairman, Canada Research Chair in Statistical Hydro-Climatology at National Institute of Scientific Research; Prof. Steve Siems, Professor at school of Earth Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University; Dr.

Gary Thunen, Chief Scientist and Senior Fellow, Advanced Technology Centre, Lockheed Martin Space; Dr. Mukul Tewari, Research Staff Member at IBM, and Dr. Campbell Watson, Research Staff Member at IBM Research.

During the visit, the delegation learned about the objectives of the-state-of-the-art facility that specialises in the manufacturing of various weather modification products in the UAE, and its plans to conduct innovative research projects in weather modification and rain enhancement.

The factory has developed several samples of specially-designed dispensers to carry innovative nanomaterials as part of one of the programme’s first cycle awardee project. Developed in collaboration with the Research, Development and Training department at the NCM, these materials will be sprayed into clouds without altering their physical and chemical characteristics using the centre’s custom-designed aircraft.

The materials have a high condensation capability at relatively low levels of humidity compared to other materials, and their design prevents the clotting of the materials during the process. The dispensers underwent a series of ground field tests at a specially designed facility within the Emirates Weather Enhancement Factory before being loaded into the aircraft, to determine the most suitable designs.

Nanomaterials can accelerate water condensation and droplet formation inside the clouds. This results in larger sizes of water droplets during rainfall, amounting to up to triple times the old method as proven by laboratory experiments and cloud chamber tests to simulate cloud development.