A team of scientists are to test drones that are designed to trigger rainfall from clouds. 

This comes from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wanting to improve its rainfall, which stands at a yearly average of just 100mm. 

The UAE government issued £10.8m for nine separate projects back in 2017 that each aim to enhance the amount of rainfall in the country, with a team from the University of Reading assigned with this particular project according to an article on BBC News.

“The water table is sinking drastically in [the] UAE and the purpose of this is to try to help with rainfall,” said Prof Maarten Ambaum, a Professor of Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics at the University of Reading.

The drones will be tested near Dubai within the next two weeks.

“Equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments and customised sensors, these drones will fly at low altitudes and deliver an electric charge to air molecules, which should encourage precipitation,” said Alya Al-Mazroui when speaking to Arab News. He is the director of the UAE’s rain-enhancement science-research program.