10, November, 2022 – The National Center of Meteorology (NCM), today announced the targeted research areas for the Fifth Cycle research projects of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), with a focus on two high-priority areas:  enhancing cloud formation and rain enhancement. 

 

The program is set to launch its Fifth Cycle on the sidelines of the 6th International Rain Enhancement Forum on 24 January 2023 in Abu Dhabi.

 

The announcement was made during a press conference held at the UAE pavilion at 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), currently underway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  NCM is taking part in the leading global forum for discussions on climate change as part of the UAE’s official delegation to the event to highlight its achievements in the field of meteorology and the study of extreme weather events in the context of climate change. The Center is also sharing its pioneering expertise in advancing rain enhancement science and technology.

 

Identified by a team of prominent international experts and scientists in rain enhancement research and technologies, the targeted research areas aim to generate new knowledge and technologies that will have a significant impact on the field of rain enhancement, particularly for arid regions. 

 

The new targeted research areas include investigations of the physical chain of events leading to cloud and rainfall formation; evaluations of warm, cold and mixed-phase cloud physical processes and their interactions that lead to rainfall; multiscale modeling of relevant atmospheric processes connecting cloud microphysics and dynamics; nowcasting and forecasting of weather to support cloud seeding operations; innovative uses of Artificial Intelligence techniques, particularly novel machine learning approaches; and integration of new measurement and numerical tools to gain a clear, scientific understanding of the full chain of events and processes involved in cloud formation, among others. 

 

The Program will particularly welcome research proposals that have a clear operational impact with measurable outcomes and robust Technical Readiness Level (TRL) in terms of technologies, models and outputs used. Research proposals with a TRL score of 6 and above will be given greater preference, allowing for their applications in countries suffering from a shortage of natural water resources.

 

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of NCM and President of the Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said: “In response to the growing challenges of climate change and water scarcity, the world needs to adopt a novel and science-based approach to find viable solutions to today’s complex water resource problems. At NCM, we have made significant progress in addressing these issues over the past four cycles of the UAEREP as part of the UAE’s commitment to supporting global efforts to enhance water security.” 

 

“We are confident that the new areas of focus identified by the program’s Fifth Cycle will significantly increase the program’s capacity to deliver beneficial outcomes for communities at high risk of water stress through unlocking the enormous potential of the rain enhancement science and technology,” Al Mandous added. 

 

Alya Al Mazroui, Director of the UAEREP, said: “Since its inception, the program has made remarkable contributions to the development of new technologies in rain enhancement through undertaking cutting-edge research work and promoting collaborative efforts and knowledge transfers within the scientific community. Building on the success the program has made over its first four cycles, the areas focused by the Fifth Cycle will add new dimensions to our understanding of cloud formation, a topic that has gained increasing interest from the scientific community in the past cycle. Such efforts are aligned with UAEREP’s endeavor to foster new research collaborations to explore promising new concepts in this important scientific domain, while consolidating the program’s leadership in offering scientific solutions to bolster national and global water security.” 

 

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court in 2015, the UAE’s pioneering rain enhancement research program supports innovative research and technology proposals to advance knowledge in the field of rain enhancement research, particularly in arid regions, through offering managed grant assistance to selected teams of researchers. 

 

The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science selects every two years the most distinguished research proposals in the field of rain enhancement from around the world. The program provides a grant of up to US$1.5 Million, distributed over three years with a maximum annual amount of US$550K for each winning research proposal in the rain enhancement field.

 

To date, the program has offered grants worth US$18 million to support 11 innovative rain enhancement research projects, which are developing new science and technologies to support cloud-seeding operations in the UAE and also contribute to the global rain enhancement knowledge.