How to make artificial rain in the desert

One of the driest countries on Earth, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is trying to make it rain in the desert by sending planes to fire "salt cannon" to breed clouds and Find ways to squeeze every last drop of rain from those artificial clouds.

Revealing how to make artificial rain in the desert

The goal of a cloud-like technique is to increase the condensation of water in the sky and trigger a rain down on the ground. UAE , a country rich in oil but the top 10 most drought-prone countries in the world, hopes this technique can help increase annual rainfall extremely little, currently only 78mm / year, its.

In order to meet the sudden increase in water demand due to rapid economic growth and large numbers of workers, the UAE now relies heavily on desalination, the process of removing salt from seawater to make it usable. . However, the nation's 33 desalination plants currently only meet 42% of their water needs, according to a 2013 report by the Ministry of Environment and UAE.

Salt cannons are attached to the wing of the aircraft to perform cloud breeding tasks.(Photo: Getty Images)

The UAE has been pursuing cloud-breeding techniques for over 10 years.The National Meteorological and Seismological Agency (NCMS) is tasked with carrying out this program.

NCMS meteorological experts always monitor weather radars to inform government flight pilots of when to take off in rain-making missions."As soon as they saw a few convection clouds forming, they would ask us to carry out a test flight , " said Mark Newman, an NCMS pilot.

NCMS meteorological experts always monitor weather radars to inform government flight pilots of the right time to take off for mission-making missions.

Newman added that the mission team will then try to breed the cloud if conditions are met. The pilot said, summer is often the busiest time for these missions.

The power of the air flow determines the number of salted artillery shells fired when the plane surveyed where the cloud formed. For example, if the flow does not go up slightly, the pilots will launch 1 or 2 salt cannon. But if there is a strong upward flow of gas, they will fire 4 and sometimes up to 6 chemical cannons into the cloud.

Salt cannons will be fired at potential clouds to increase water condensation, helping to trigger the rain.Photo: CCTV

A flight that lasts an average of 3 hours, can breed about 24 clouds and cost authorities $ 5,000. According to Newman, not every cloud they breed will produce rain, but they often do it. NCMS statistics show that the cloud breeding program has helped increase the country's annual precipitation by 30% and a medium-sized cloud can hold up to 270 million gallons of water, providing ground water with a cost up to 300,000 USD.