It was reported on Tuesday that Dubai remains flooded after rain that fell earlier this week. By Tuesday, 142 millimeters had fallen in about 48 hours, which is around 50 percent more than the total precipitation all year around.
The Dubai international airport holds a record for being the busiest international travel and arrivals which remained halted. Officials have predicted that it will take several days for it to return to normal.
Several unconfirmed reports have claimed that cloud seeding could have been responsible for the flood. These are the clouds which are made up of suspended water vapour. The rain occurs when the water vapour comes together around a very small particle which is called a nuclei in order to form drops. This can occur around ice particles but some substances like silver iodide can attract more vapour than ice.
“When it’s in a cloud, then water molecules will see that surface and think that it’s like ice,” Canada Research Chair in Atmospheric Science Rachel Chang said.
“(Water will) start condensing or freezing onto that silver iodide particle and then basically build ice up,” she added.
Chang also has claimed that the ice crystals will increase in size until they are large enough to fall in the form of snow. If the temperature is warm enough, they will fall in the form of rain.
Cloud seedings were first discovered in the 1940s and then became increasingly popular in the United States in the 1960s. Many countries including Canada, use the method which is a great remedy for forest fires or even droughts or even to create snow or to limit the size of potentially damaging hail.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has invested over $2.4 million last year on cloud seeding along the Colorado river.
The Associated Press has claimed that UAE utilises salt flares for the purpose of cloud seeding.