UAE 'creates' artificial rain

[6souls]

Spoiler: show

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress..../abu-dhabi.jpg

Fifty-two storms in Abu Dhabi this summer were artifically created.

Hail, lightning and gales came through the state's eastern region this summer thanks to scientist-puppetmasters.

As part of a secret program to control the weather in the Middle East, scientists working for the United Arab Emirates government artificially created rain where rain is generally nowhere to be found. The $11 million project, which began in July, put steel lampshade-looking ionizers in the desert to produce charged particles. The negatively charged ions rose with the hot air, attracting dust. Moisture then condensed around the dust and eventually produced a rain cloud. A bunch of rain clouds.

On the 52 days it rained in the region throughout July and August, forecasters did not predict rain once.

While fascinating, this is not the first time scientists have attempted to mess with Mother Nature. China has been tinkering with cloud seeding for years, not always successfully.

But the idea that countries in the Middle East could actually create rain in this water-poor region could go a long way to solving the area's problems with drought and is considered to be cheaper than desalination. But how controllable the weather can be is still in doubt, and the consequences of meddling with nature at this level are yet to be seen.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/03/...desert/?hpt=T2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...rs-desert.html
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/abu-d...ct-371038.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...jing-snow.html

[bechyni]

Not trying to dick ride but...this shit is pretty bad ass lol

[Athas]

How could this have been the first its been done?

It seems like fairly simple science.

[Moss]

God is gonna be PISSED

[bechyni]

Obviously that's why he's ending the world in May

[Boyiee]

Cloud seedings been going on for a while... but I'm sure since it's the middle east that there is probably some terrible nuclear drawback to their way.

[Viq]

I'm surprised this only cost $11m

[ZarakiKujata]

Cloud seedings been going on for a while... but I'm sure since it's the middle east that there is probably some terrible nuclear drawback to their way.

Cloud seeding has usually been done in more temperate climates where rain is more common though right? China was doing it as a means to control shit at the Olympics, I can't imagine manipulating the equilibrium of water in the environment in a place like UAE will be a good idea down the road.

[SephYuyX]

I'm surprised this only cost $11m

Thought the same thing.

[ZarakiKujata]

Why though? It's not like they had to dump money to research how to do this extensively since you learn how rain is produced in elementary school. Only had to actually engineer and build the system.

[miokomioko]

I would have expected the UAE to be dumping 10x that amount in anything just to say they did. I guess steel ionizers aren't as cool as hotels.

[Apelila]

Didn't they do this in Star Trek IV?

[Heavencloud]

I'm surprised this only cost $11m

This, I do wonder what the costs are per year though, running costs I suppose. Much better than desalination though it seems.

[Pikarya]

God-tier weather altering.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2iuwaz6.jpg

But yeah, this has been done many times before as said already.

[#686578]

What are the side effects/consequences?

[Pikarya]

Al gore making another movie and bringing up more global warming garbage.

[Jaybar]

Eco-system change would be the biggest concern, I believe, at least in the rural/non-urban regions. I'm no ecologist, so I don't know what happens to deserts and their ecosystems when the rain pattern changes dramatically.

[Cantih]

Eco-system change would be the biggest concern, I believe, at least in the rural/non-urban regions. I'm no ecologist, so I don't know what happens to deserts and their ecosystems when the rain pattern changes dramatically.

While I'm not keen on cutting forests, I'm willing to risk ecosystem tampering for the purpose of turning deserts into habitable land.
Stuff like http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...rgy.solarpower

Honestly, if there's so much unemployment, we could use a megaproject or two.

[Jaybar]

I'm not saying that changing the land into a habitable space is bad. Although I can't help but picture Children of Dune/God Emperor of Dune when it comes to changing deserts to habitable regions.

[#686578]

Surely there's a real consequence to forcing rain though right? Like it has to come from somewhere else.