Weather In Abu Dhabi.

[Rollo]

I quote from the Sunday Times of 2-1-11. Scientists employed by the ruler of Abu Dahbi claim to have generated a series of downpours in the Arabian Emirate using new technology desigmed to give man control over the weather.

The secret project is said to have caused more than 50 rainstorms in the states eastern Al Ain region last year.Most of the storms came at the height of the summer in July and August,when the region often sees no rain ar all. In some, the rain even turned to hail.

The events puzzled people living in Abu Dhabi and sparked concern over the violence of some of the storms which included gales and lightening. What they did not know was that scientists employed by Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates and leader of Abu Dhabi, had been using giant ionisers to generate fields of negatively charged particles,or ions,in the air over Al Ain. These are known to promote more cloud formation and the hope was that they could also produce rain.

Helmut Fluhrer, founder of Meteo Systems International,the Swiss company employed to oversee the project, says in a confidential company video:"We are currently operatingour innovative rainfall enhancement technology,Weathertec, in the region of Al Ain in abu Dhabi. We started in june 2010 and have achieved a number of rainfalls."

The project is believed to be the first time the system has produced rain from clear skies,although cloud seeding using chemicals has been carried out in countries such as China both to induce and prevent rain.

Professor Hartmut Grasal,former director of the institute said in a videomade in Al Ain"There are many,many applications.One is getting water in a dry area. Maybe this is the most impotant point for mankind."

Last yeay Meteo Systems constructed 5 ionising sites, with about 20 emitters,around Al Ain. The emitters shaped like srripped-down lampshades on steel poles, can send trillions of cloud forming ions into the atmosphere. The system is based on a design pioneered in the former Soviet Union,which like America, conducted extensive research into weather control during the cold war.

Over 122 days through the summer months,the emitters were switched on 74 times when atmospheric humidity reached the requires level of 30% or more. During thatn time the Al Ain region experienced rain on 52 occasions on days when the countries own weather service had predicted no clouds and no rain.

Such results need to be treated with some caution,until confirmed by by further research.Abu Dhabi is a coastal state,so it can experience natural summer rainfall triggered by air picking up moisture from the surrounding warm oceon and then dropping it over land.However, the number and size of the rainfalls,plus their timing shortly after the ionisers were switched on,has made the company and scientists optimistic.

In a brochure,Meteo Systems said it could generate 100m cubic metres of water a month,similar to that of a large desalination plant. The cost of building the ionising system was only £7m compared with about £850m for a desalination plant, which would also have much higher operating costs.

Fluhrer could not be reached for further comment ,but Meteo's claims have been backed by others. Professor Peter Wilderer,director of of the institute of advanced studies on sustainability at the Technical University of Munich,said after observing the experiments:"We came a big step cloder to the point where we can increase the availibility of fresh water tovall in times of dramatic global changes.