• Three-day Forum ran under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court
• Event draws participation of over 600 scientists, researchers, and specialists in weather modification and rain enhancement science
• 50 high-profile speakers from across the globe explore cutting-edge topics including Artificial Intelligence for weather modification, innovations in Autonomous Aerial Systems, advancements in Cloud Seeding Materials, and fostering youth engagement

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 30 January 2025 – The International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF), which ran under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, wrapped up a highly successful seventh edition today at Conrad Abu Dhabi at Etihad Towers.

Organized by the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), the event featured insightful panel discussions and interactive presentations across five key strategic pillars: Collaboration, Innovation, Capacity Building, Artificial Intelligence, and Applied Research.

Over its three-day run, the Forum drew the participation of more than 600 scientists, researchers, and specialists in weather modification and rain enhancement science. The event also featured over 50 high-profile speakers from across the globe, including leading experts, policymakers, and researchers, discussing cutting-edge topics including Artificial Intelligence for weather modification, innovations in Autonomous Aerial Systems, and advancements in Cloud Seeding Materials, along with fostering youth engagement.

A major highlight of the event, which marked UAEREP’s 10^th anniversary, was the launch of the program’s 6th cycle for submissions of innovative research proposals, offering a grant of up USD 1.5 million (AED 5.511 million) for each winning project proposal. The grant will be distributed among up to three innovative research projects over three years, with a maximum annual amount of $550K. During the Forum, His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, honored a number of distinguished local and international figures and institutions that have contributed to the program's establishment and leadership over the past decade.

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director General of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said: “We are proud of our wise leadership's continued support for the water security agenda as well as the growing role of IREF as a key platform for international experts and researchers to advance discussions on water security and weather modification. The UAE’s efforts in this domain significantly contribute to uniting the scientific community’s efforts toward finding new solutions for securing global water resources, particularly in regions facing water scarcity. This aligns with the UAE’s commitment to pioneering cutting-edge technologies for water security and sustainable resource management.”

Alya Al Mazrouei, Director of UAEREP, said: “The 7th IREF and its expert-led sessions reaffirm UAEREP’s dedication to advancing scientific research and enriching global dialogue on water security and climate resilience. The diverse discussions, ideas, and studies presented during the Forum will significantly contribute to the progress of rain enhancement science, and we are eager to build on these outcomes to drive further advancements in the field. While we look forward to receiving proposals for the Sixth Cycle of UAEREP, we remain committed to ensuring the seamless transition of research outcomes into practical solutions that support communities facing water scarcity challenges worldwide.”

Key Highlights from the Final Day

The final day of the forum featured in-depth sessions on specialized topics, highlighting the latest advancements in rainfall enhancement science. The first session, titled 'Limited-Area Climate Interventions as a Catalyst for Rainfall Enhancement,' explored the growing interest in targeted climate interventions and their potential implications for rainfall enhancement. Moderated by Deon Terblanche, Member of UAEREP’s Strategic Direction Committee (SDC), the session opened with a speech by Kelly Wanser, Executive Director of Silver Lining.

This was followed by technical presentations, including Jean-Francois Lamarque, Chief Climate Scientist at Silver Lining, who spoke on “Recent Developments in Modeling and Deployment of Regional Climate Interventions.” Oliver Branch, Senior Scientist at the University of Hohenheim, presented his research on “Artificial Heat Islands – An Intelligent Solution for Rainfall Enhancement in the UAE.” Christopher Lennard, Environmental Scientist at the University of Cape Town, discussed “Impacts of Solar Geoengineering on Rainfall Enhancement Programs.”

The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring Jean-Francois Lamarque, Oliver Branch, and Christopher Lennard, who provided further insights into the applications and challenges of climate intervention techniques. The discussion explored various research areas, including Solar Radiation Management (SRM), Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), and landform modification related to rainfall enhancement research.

The second session, titled 'New Approaches and Innovations for Cloud Formation and/or Rainfall Enhancement,' showcased non-conventional and innovative research applications aimed at improving rain-bearing cloud formation and rainfall enhancement. Moderated by Raha Hakimdavar, Senior Advisor to the Deans of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) and Earth Commons, the session began with an opening speech by Abbass Karim, General Manager of Fluid Codes.

The session then featured a series of technical presentations. Kala Golden, Cloud Seeding Program Manager at the Idaho Department of Water Resources, presented on “Glaciogenic Cloud Seeding in the Northwestern United States: The Idaho Approach.” Ali Abshaev, a UAEREP 3rd Cycle Awardee from the High Mountain Geophysical Institute of Russian Hydrometeorological Service, discussed “Experience of Using Jet-Aerosol Technology in the Formation of Updrafts and Clouds: Challenges and New Perspectives.” Zhanyu YAO from the CMA Weather Modification Center delivered a presentation on “Chinese Acoustic Rain Enhancement Experiments and Effect Analysis.”

The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring Kala Golden, Ali Abshaev, Zhanyu YAO, and Guillaume Matras, UAEREP 5^th Cycle Awardee and Senior Director of High Power Lasers and Applications at the Directed Energy Research Center (DERC) of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII). Discussions focused on both ground-based and airborne systems, exploring novel approaches beyond traditional cloud seeding techniques.