Dubai flood-Introduction to the UAE’s Extreme Weather Event
Having some areas seeing over 250 mm of rain in less than 24 hours, the United Arab Emirates recently experienced the heaviest rainfall in 75 years. As a result of the floods, Dubai, a popular tourist attraction, witnessed major interruptions including flights being canceled, blocked traffic, and shut schools. One of the busiest airports in the world, situated inside the city, was completely flooded, forcing operational halts and continuous flight delays even after the storm left. The storm is part of a bigger system that affects the Arabian Peninsula and is also bringing unusual precipitation to southeast Iran and neighboring Oman.
The Devastating Impact on Oman and the UAE
The record-breaking rainfall in Oman triggered terrible flash floods killing at least 18 people, including school children. A 70-year-old man died as floodwaters dragged his vehicle away, based on the death reports from the United Arab Emirates. This extreme weather event shows these kinds of occurrences more regularly and severely, which scientists relate to climate change. Severe rainfall events are possible due to the atmosphere’s rising moisture level as it warms.
Cloud seeding possibly helped the storm’s increased intensity, based on discussions and assumptions fueled by the conditions in Dubai. To alter the microphysical process that takes place within clouds, a weather alteration technique termed “cloud seeding” involves the release of substances into the existing clouds that act as ice nuclei or cloud condensation. Commonly, the intent is to enhance rainfall, reduce hail, or disperse fog.
Dubai flood: Misconceptions and Realities of Cloud Seeding
Given the 1990s, the UAE has relied on cloud seeding, which makes use of natural salts to boost rainfall. This seems to be essential for an area that often has water scarcity. On the contrary, authorities and specialists have verified that there were no cloud-seeding acts done during the most recent storm. This justification parallels the common belief that severe weather is possibly due to cloud seeding. Scientists have emphasized that cloud seeding is generally used on clouds that do not naturally produce plenty of rainfall and that the storm’s size was too vast for it to be driven by this tactic.
To reach the clouds, the non-profit Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Nevada burns or sprays silver iodide, a chemical that, according to their scientists, exists naturally in the environment and is safe. As reported by CNBC, the United Arab Emirates, which started its cloud seeding program in the 1990s, applies one kilogram of salt material components, which are ignited and shirt into clouds by specially built aircraft. The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) of the United Arab Emirates stated on CNBC in March that’ our specialized aircraft only use natural salts and no harmful chemicals.”
Dubai flood: Understanding the Role of Climate Change in Extreme Weather
The experts have said that the heavy rainfall in Dubai may have been caused by natural weather patterns that were made worse by climate change. Ideal conditions for storms were caused by a low-pressure system in the atmosphere that was made worse by the temperature variations driven by global warming. As the planet heats up, these conditions grow more common, leading to more frequent and severe weather events.
Climate experts have issued warnings about the rising impact of human-made climate change on weather extremes, so this is in line with their projections. Rumors that the chaos was man-made were proven false when the local daily The National reported an official at the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology as saying that cloud seeding was not the cause of the rain.
In spots where there is little water, cloud seeding may continue amid criticism. By causing rain to fall over the ocean instead of over the land, cloud seeding may boost the volume of water that is available from clouds, which helps to increase water supplies in locations like Australia’s Snowy Mountains and areas where floods give a worry. Given that it cannot produce water but can only boost rainfall from present moisture, it is not an ideal drought-relieving method.
Future Challenges: Water Management and Weather Readiness
Dubai faces hot, dry weather, similar to the rest of the Persian Gulf region. Due to this, the city gets few instances of rainfall and its infrastructure often fails to resist extreme weather conditions. Taking everything into account, the heavy torrential rains that hit Dubai and the Arabian Peninsula show the dual problems of managing water resources in arid areas and bracing for rising extreme weather as an outcome of climate change. The incident further highlights how important it is to figure out between larger-scale climate changes that are severely affecting our environment and human intervention through cloud seeding.