ABU DHABI, 1st June, 2022 (WAM) — As part of its Rain Enhancement Hub webinar series, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), through the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science, hosted a virtual session titled ‘Programmatic Management of Weather Modification in the Colorado River Basin.’ Webcast on the programme’s official social media channels, the session hosted Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, Director of Climate and Water Programme, Middle East Institute, the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East, and specialises in policy and educational and professional development services including climate and water.
The webinar discussed the severe drought conditions experienced by the Colorado River Basin in the Western United States of America, and the role of winter cloud seeding in enhancing winter snowpack and, subsequently, the spring snowmelt that feeds into the major reservoirs of the Colorado River system. The session also highlighted the winter cloud seeding programmes in the Colorado River Basin and how all these basin states work together to fund these activities as part of a water augmentation strategy.
Commenting on the webinar, Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of NCM and President of the Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said, “The Rain Enhancement Hub webinar series serves as an ideal opportunity for leading experts and specialists to explore the latest developments and research efforts in rain enhancement research and highlight its crucial role in promoting water sustainability worldwide. Such collective research efforts allow us to break new ground in this vital scientific domain.”
“Through exchanging ideas and experiences, NCM seeks to identify new ways to further cooperation in scientific research, while developing new tools and technologies to ensure the sustainability of water resources. This supports the programme’s continued quest to advance its current operations and develop new methods in cloud seeding.
“In view of the increasing opportunities available to us, and the outstanding research outcomes our scientists have achieved on the ground, we are confident that our promising rain enhancement programme will make more breakthroughs in future. This will, in turn, help us revitalise our freshwater resources significantly”, Al Mandous added.
For his part, Dr. Mahmoud, said, “The extreme drought conditions the Colorado River Basin has experienced since 2000 have impacted the generation of streamflow and the availability of water supply for the growing populations and sectors in the region. To help mitigate the effects of drought on the basin, winter cloud seeding has been implemented as a means of enhancing winter snowpack and, subsequently, the spring snowmelt that feeds into the major reservoirs of the Colorado River system. Consequently, integrated and jointly funded cloud seeding programmes have been developed.”
Moreover, Alya Al Mazroui, Director of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), commented, “Through the Rain Enhancement Hub webinar series, we have convened top global experts, specialists and researchers to discuss the latest trends, and review the promising applications and programmes in rain enhancement research. Such events enhance our ability to integrate cutting edge ideas from around the globe to our awardee research projects.”
