Abu Dhabi: The winners of the second edition of the Rain Enhancement Science Awards were honoured in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their scientific endeavours in the field of rain enhancement.
A prize fund of $5 million was awarded to the winners, with the money being shared among the winners to help them put their submitted ideas into action.
Now in its second year, the Rain Enhancement Programme was launched by the UAE Ministry of Presidential affairs and under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and is managed by the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).
The main aim of the programme is to promote scientific research and development in the area of rain enhancement. By achieving rain enhancement techniques, the organisers behind the initiative hope to alleviate the challenge of water security.
“The UAE is playing an active role in driving research in science and technology to identify solutions to tackle global water security challenges. This comes in support of the ambitious innovation and energy strategies of our country,” Shaikh Mansour said in a statement.
“This cutting edge research could make a real difference for countries suffering from droughts across the world. The success of the first and second cycles of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science testifies to the importance of its goals and demonstrates the excellence of its execution, and through this one-of-a-kind initiative, the UAE is proud to play its part in strengthening water security and positioning our nation as an international hub for advanced research and innovation in this crucial area,” he added.
Ahmad Juma Al Zaabi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs and chairman of the Board of Trustees at the NCMS, spoke on the significance of the programme in the light of the water security challenges the world is facing.
“Today water security is impacting 3 billion people around the world, and this challenge is expected to continue to grow unless we find solutions,” he said.
“It is in this framework that the NCMS has created studies which have made it a regional centre for scientific research and developing further technology. The rain enhancement programme has proven its importance in providing solutions for the issue of water security.
“The Rain Enhancement Programme is an initiative from the UAE for the world that is aimed at supporting innovative ideas and turning them into practical actions that will help us achieve water security,” he added.
Alya Al Mazroui, programme manager, said that this year’s edition saw a 22 per cent increase in terms of participation from scientists around the world. “In the second cycle of the rain enhancement programme, we saw the participation of 298 scientists [from around the world] who submitted 91 proposals, [this represented] a 22 per cent increase compared to our inaugural cycle.
“Our purpose is clear: we must give innovative minds all the resources they need, and to preserve our national resources to build a prosperous future,” she added.
Winners and their proposals
Professor Giles Harrison, University of Reading, United Kingdom
Proposal: Electrical aspects of rain generation
Prof Harrison’s proposal aims to investigate the electrical properties of clouds through a combination of theoretical and experimental work, firstly to model the growth of charged drops to raindrops and secondly to measure and modify the charges present in clouds using balloons and aircraft.
“I am honoured to have won this award, I think this programme and the leadership shown by the UAE is visionary and ambitious. We know that science can solve problems of humanity, and water resources are one of those questions, which I hope very much that science will strive out to solve. [Science] has delivered for us in many areas over the past 100 years, and so the idea that the fundamental science and evaluation of the processes [and getting to] the understanding of the details is the only [way] that we are going to sort it out. This programme is encouraging us to think in that way which is very powerful.”
Professor Hannele Korhonen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland
Proposal: Optimisation of aerosol seeding in rain enhancement strategies
Prof Korhonen’s proposal is looking at applying a multidisciplinary approach in providing a comprehensive analysis of the role of atmospheric aerosols in precipitation enhancement. It aims to both advance the fundamental scientific understanding and to provide practical guidance for future field explorations in rain enhancement research.
“I am very honoured and grateful to receive this award, I would like to thank the leadership of Abu Dhabi for taking the initiative in leading international research efforts in this field [of rain enhancement]. On behalf of my team, I would also like to thank the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science for making our project possible; we are really looking forward to three years of exciting science. We heard how tough the competition was [for this year’s cycle] so I am happy that our hard work paid off.”
Dr Paul Lawson, SPEC Incorporated, United States
Proposal: Microphysics of convective clouds and the effects of hygroscopic seeding
Dr Lawson’s ambitious proposal will look at a new approach to rain enhancement that looks at ice production processes in cumulus clouds. As part of the project, an aircraft and radar will study the process in cumulus clouds in the UAE, and evaluate the potential for rain enhancement. All of the findings from the research will be published in a peer-reviewed publication.
“We are greatly honoured to receive this prestigious award, I would like to thank Shaikh Mansour [and the] UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science [for] giving us this opportunity to do fundamental research in rain enhancement. This is a significant award, $5 million dollars is far beyond what is available for rain enhancement science anywhere else, so it gives us an opportunity to really investigate the basic science of what is going on instead of just putting materials in the clouds and not knowing what’s really happening.”
