The record-breaking rainfall witnessed in Dubai late last week that triggered severe flooding has been linked to climate change rather than cloud seeding, according to climate scientists. Powerful downpours drenched the arid emirate on Monday and Tuesday of last week, dumping extraordinary amounts of rain that caused widespread inundation in some low-lying areas. This unprecedented rainfall event raised questions regarding the possible role of cloud seeding in intensifying the precipitation over the region.
However, leading climate scientist Friederike Otto from Imperial College London has clarified that human-induced global warming, not artificial rain enhancement, was responsible for the extreme rains. Otto explained that as the planet warms due to emissions from fossil fuel combustion, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, allowing for heavier rainfall potentials. While cloud seeding aims to stimulate existing clouds, it requires atmospheric moisture already present due to climatic factors. The rain volumes received in Dubai were simply too large to have been produced by this technique alone given available analyses.
The event fits well-established patterns of increasingly intense precipitation seen worldwide under a changing climate. Additional local factors like low pressure conditions and transport of moisture from the Arabian Sea also fed into the weather setup over Dubai. Models had predicted such an occurrence days in advance due to natural meteorological reasons. With continued greenhouse gas emissions threatening to push global temperatures even higher, the risk of harm fromamplified downpours will only grow according to scientists assessing the situation. Maintaining focus on climate change mitigation through emissions cuts is essential to curbing escalating rainfall extremes worldwide.
