Scientists from the United Arab Emirates and Reading University in England are working on a project to use drones to try to get more rain in the desert country known for its high temperatures. The idea is to use the small flying vehicles to “shock” and change the electrical charge of the rain droplets in the clouds.
“Equipped with a payload of electric charge emission instruments and custom sensors, these drones will fly at low altitudes and deliver an electric charge to the air molecules, which should stimulate precipitation,” Alya Al-Mazroui, director of the scientific research program for rain intensification in the Emirates tells Arab News.
Since 2017, the UAE government has invested more than $15 million in different projects – nine in all – aimed at initiatives that expand the average 100 mm of annual rainfall there. For comparison, the average rainfall in São Paulo is 1356 mm.
The idea to make it rain more joins another ongoing technological project with the same objective: “cloud seeding”. To change the scenario considered drastic of water scarcity in the country, the local government deposits grains of salt in the clouds to stimulate condensation and cloud creation.
Too many clouds, not enough rain
Maarten Ambaum, one of the scientists in charge of building the drones, explains that there are plenty of clouds in the UAE, despite the low (and decreasing) water table.
The professor explains that the aim of the action is to bind droplets to the point of making them big enough to fall, just like static electricity does with “dry hair and comb.”
For now, the researchers are awaiting the revision of the scientific study in which they detail the attempt to “shock” clouds to stimulate rain. The expectation is that when this happens, the scientists will receive funding to use a larger aircraft to facilitate their work.