WANA (Jun 10) – As population growth, urbanization, and climate change intensify, the global water crisis has become one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

 

In this context, water-scarce countries in the Middle East—particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—are seeking innovative strategies to manage water resources. However, the UAE’s recent cloud seeding activities near Iran’s water and land borders have sparked significant concerns.

 

Suspicion Surrounds UAE’s Cloud Seeding Near Southern Iran

The UAE, which receives less than 120 millimeters of annual rainfall, has carried out extensive cloud seeding programs over the past two decades.

 

Now, with growing ambitions to expand its influence over regional water resources, the country is reportedly attempting to manipulate cloud formations over southern Iran, raising suspicions and sensitivities.

 

Experts and observers argue that the execution of such projects near Iran’s southern regions could reduce the country’s natural rainfall and allow artificial control over precipitation patterns.

 

Over the past twenty years, the UAE has positioned itself as a “natural laboratory” for weather modification research, becoming a central hub for international studies on the interaction between aerosols (atmospheric dust particles), clouds, and precipitation.

 

Why the UAE Pursued Cloud Seeding

The primary goal of the UAE’s cloud seeding initiative is to increase the likelihood and intensity of rainfall by injecting artificial particles—typically those with high hygroscopic (moisture-attracting) properties—into warm clouds.

 

This method relies on using seeding particles that are larger than naturally occurring background aerosols. These larger particles more effectively absorb water vapor, leading to the formation of bigger cloud droplets. These droplets activate collision and coalescence processes within the cloud, ultimately generating or enhancing rainfall.

 

The increase in droplet size also releases latent heat, which fuels stronger air updrafts and deeper cloud formation. As a result, the probability, persistence, and intensity of rainfall are significantly increased.

UAE’s Cloud Seeding. Social media/ WANA News Agency

How Cloud Seeding is Evaluated

Measuring the effectiveness of cloud seeding projects has long been one of the most challenging aspects of such programs. To address this, the UAE employs a dual analytical approach:

 

Long-Term Statistical Analysis

Rainfall records from target stations in eastern UAE (mountainous regions) were compared with control stations in coastal areas during two distinct periods: a non-seeding phase (1981–2002) and a seeding phase (2003–2019).

 

Using a target-control regression method, researchers estimated natural rainfall levels in the absence of seeding and compared them to actual rainfall during the seeding years.

 

The results showed a 23% average increase in rainfall in the target areas following the implementation of the cloud seeding program—a notable figure that reflects the long-term effectiveness of the policy.

 

Physical Analysis Using Radar

To validate the statistical findings, the UAE conducted field assessments using advanced meteorological radars, especially Doppler and polarimetric systems.

 

These instruments provide real-time data on the microphysical, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties of clouds, including volume, mass, spatial coverage, lifespan, altitude, and precipitation potential.

 

In one study, 65 seeded storms were compared with 87 unseeded storms. The findings revealed that within just 15 to 25 minutes of seeding, significant improvements in cloud structure and intensity were observed.

Specifications of target and control stations for the UAE’s cloud seeding experiments. Social media/ WANA News Agency

UAE’s Heavy Investment in Cloud Seeding Technology

Since 2015, with the formal establishment of the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology, the country has launched a comprehensive research program aimed at developing new technologies, advancing domestic scientific knowledge, and expanding international collaboration.

 

Today, the UAE not only employs traditional cloud seeding methods such as aircraft-based dispersal but is also advancing novel approaches. These include microphysical modeling, satellite data usage (such as MODIS), and direct atmospheric measurements using sophisticated tools like disdrometers.