This week several memes did the rounds on social media, comparing climatic conditions in Mumbai and Dubai. Residents in both cities have witnessed contrasting weather conditions. Mumbaikars are eagerly waiting for rains this year, residents in Dubai have been surprised by heavy rains and floods.
While it is not surprising for Mumbai residents to see flooding or water logging in some areas due to heavy rains, floods in Dubai has caught everyone by surprise. There is also a lot of speculations about the reasons behind Dubai floods.
One speculation is around cloud seeding as the reason behind the deluge. However, meteorologists and climate scientists have swiftly debunked this notion, asserting that the extreme rainfall was a consequence of broader atmospheric dynamics consistent with human-induced climate change, according to media reports.
News agency AP reported that experts have dismissed cloud seeding as a plausible explanation for the flooding. It quoted Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist and former chief scientist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as saying that if the floods occurred with cloud seeding, Dubai would have water all the time. He said that the volume of rainfall experienced in Dubai far exceeded what cloud seeding could feasibly produce.
Also Read: When Will it Rain in Mumbai in 2024? Question on Every Mind as Dubai Gets Flooded
So, what’s behind Dubai floods?
Meteorologists and climate scientists have attributed the unprecedented nature of the rainfall event in Dubai to climate change. Computer models predicted the heavy rainfall days in advance, a phenomenon consistent with climate change-induced weather extremes.
Scientists have linked the global trend of increasingly intense rainfall events to a warmer atmosphere’s capacity to hold more moisture.
Understanding Cloud Seeding
While cloud seeding remains a technology of interest, its efficacy remains a subject of debate among scientists. The method, which involves introducing particles into clouds to enhance precipitation, has been employed in drought-prone regions such as the U.S. West and the UAE. However, the extent of its effectiveness remains unclear, with scientists cautioning against overstating its impact on weather patterns.
Also Read:– Dubai Announces Work from Home and Distance Learning Due to Heavy Rainfall Warning
Despite uncertainties surrounding its efficacy, governments in water-stressed regions continue to invest in cloud seeding as a potential means of augmenting water supplies. Utah, for instance, has reported a 12% increase in water supply attributed to cloud seeding efforts in 2018. However, the recent flooding event in Dubai underscores the limitations of such interventions in the face of increasingly extreme weather events driven by climate change.
As Dubai grapples with the aftermath of unprecedented flooding, the discourse surrounding the event underscores the complex interplay between weather modification technologies, climate change, and broader environmental concerns. While cloud seeding remains a subject of interest for water management strategies, its role in mitigating extreme weather events remains uncertain amidst the growing influence of climate change on global weather patterns.
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