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Rain in the Desert
ABBAS MUHAMMAD/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES
RAIN DRONES: New drones zap clouds with electricity to create rain in Dubai, one of the world’s driest cities.
JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN
Dubai, located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), receives less than 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) of rain in a typical year. That’s why scientists in the UAE are testing a new method for creating rainfall: zapping clouds with electricity.
Dubai is located in the Arabian Desert. Clouds there form so high in the atmosphere and temperatures are so hot that most raindrops evaporate, or turn from a liquid to a gas, before they reach the ground. To solve this problem, researchers created flying drones that can send an electric charge into clouds. This jolt of electricity causes water droplets to clump together. The larger raindrops that result fall to the ground instead of evaporating mid-air.
Scientists testing the new technology were able to trigger a rainstorm over Dubai last summer.
UAE RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR RAIN ENHANCEMENT SCIENCE
A drone flying over the desert.