The 4^th International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF), organized by the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) under the supervision of National Center of Meteorology (NCM), hosted a number of expert-led sessions on its second day to highlight the latest scientific and technological advancements related to rain enhancement and water security.

The first session on day two outlined the most recent and novel methods applied for modeling and forecasting of weather, and how these advances can be incorporated for the improvement of rain enhancement. The topics included integration of multiple efforts to create a unified model, use of regional climate and ensemble seeding simulations for quantification of seeding impacts, and the industry outlook on current and future developments in forecasting.

In the second session, panelists discussed various methods and techniques being developed and utilized to assess and evaluate the impacts of rain enhancement efforts. The topics under the scanner included introductions to the importance of these evaluation efforts, the methods in which they can be conducted, in addition to evaluation techniques that have been implemented recently for field tests model performances.

Titled ‘Transitioning from Research to Operations in Rain Enhancement’, the third session examined the efforts being made as part of field testing campaigns conducted in collaboration between Khalifa University, SPEC Inc. and NCM. It discussed the transitioning from laboratory to field scales in terms of the process followed, as well as the challenges faced and the techniques in which they were overcome.

The day concluded with a poster session that highlighted the program’s achievements in carrying out successful field campaigns harnessing innovative technologies in cloud seeding operations.

Hosted by the UAE capital Abu Dhabi every year, IREF serves as a global platform to bring together leading international and national experts, researchers, scientists and stakeholders to tackle pressing water and sustainability issues worldwide.