Rethinking water security in a warming climate: rainfall enhancement as an innovative augmentation technique
Youssef Wehbe, Steve Griffiths, Alya Al Mazrouei, Omar Al Yazeedi, Abdulla Al Mandous
Abstract
Rainfall enhancement has historically been overlooked as a key component of sustainability and climate change adaptation strategies. In this comment, we argue that rainfall enhancement is emerging as a viable contributor to addressing growing water security concerns in a warming climate. We specifically consider current progress and future directions for rainfall enhancement applications based on the experience of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with its national decade-long operational cloud seeding program and its grant-based international research and development program.
Topics & Concepts
Water securityClimate changeSustainabilityEnvironmental scienceWeather modificationGlobal warmingEnvironmental resource managementAdaptation (eye)Water resourcesClimatologyEnvironmental planningNatural resource economicsGeographyMeteorologyEconomicsPsychologyEcologyNeuroscienceBiologyGeologyWater resources management and optimizationWater-Energy-Food Nexus Studies