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Correction: Abu Dhabi serves as the capital of the United Arab Emirates, whereas Dubai holds the title of being the largest city in the country. The previous version of this story contained inaccurate details.
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The city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to be submerged in water following heavy rainfall that occurred earlier this week.
According to reports, 142 millimetres of rainfall was recorded within a span of 48 hours by Tuesday. This amount is approximately 50% higher than the total annual precipitation.
The Dubai International Airport, which holds the title for being the most busy airport for international travel, currently has its arrivals suspended. Authorities predict that it will take a few days for operations to go back to normal.
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Several unconfirmed reports suggested cloud seeding could have played a role in the flood. But what is cloud seeding, how is it used, and is there a more likely reason for the deluge?
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There were a number of unverified claims indicating that cloud seeding may have contributed to the flood. However, what exactly is cloud seeding, how is it implemented, and is there a more probable cause for the heavy rainfall?
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Summary
Clouds consist of water vapour that is suspended in the atmosphere. Rain is formed when the water vapour gathers around tiny particles known as nuclei, creating droplets. While rain can form around ice particles, certain substances such as silver iodide are more effective in attracting water vapour.
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Humans have the ability to spray the substance from aircraft or drones, or launch particles from the ground using cannons, to inject the clouds.
> According to Rachel Chang, a Canada Research Chair in Atmospheric Science, water molecules in a cloud may perceive a surface as ice due to certain conditions.
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According to her, water will begin to condense or freeze onto the silver iodide particle, resulting in the formation of ice.
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Dubai experiences flooding with roads resembling rivers and incoming flights being diverted from the airport.
According to Chang, ice crystals can increase in size quickly until they reach a point where they can fall as snow. If the temperature is high enough, they will instead become rain.
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Cloud seeding has existed since the 1940s and gained popularity in the US during the 1960s. Many countries, such as Canada, utilize this technique for various purposes, such as combating forest fires, alleviating drought, generating snow, or reducing the impact of hailstorms.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, $2.4 million was used for cloud seeding activities in the Colorado River region in the previous year.
The UAE employs salt flares for the purpose of cloud seeding, as reported by The Associated Press.
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According to Chang, there is scarce scientific proof that cloud seeding is effective.
> "The difficulty comes from the fact that every cloud is unique. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately compare the behavior of a cloud before and after it has been seeded," she explained.
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According to a recent study, there was a noticeable connection between precipitation and seeding, although a previous chief scientist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a climate scientist from the University of Pennsylvania stated to The Associated Press that there is insufficient evidence to definitively prove its effectiveness.
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Did cloud seeding lead to the flooding?
"The UAE frequently employs cloud seeding to maximize the amount of water obtained in the arid nation."
According to the Associated Press, meteorologists at the UAE National Center for Meteorology stated that they conducted six or seven cloud-seeding flights before the rains.
Flight tracking websites indicated that there was only one flight like that, as reported by The Associated Press.
> The cause of the rain was definitely not due to cloud seeding, according to former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue as reported by the Associated Press.
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Prior to the rainfall, meteorologists observed three low-pressure systems coming together to create a series of storms.
University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann and other researchers mentioned that a majority of individuals attributing cloud seeding to these events are also known for rejecting the concept of climate change.
– Information was sourced from Global News' Sean Previl and The Associated Press' Jon Gambrell, Seth Borenstein and Brittany Peterson.
