NCM concludes successful participation at IUGG

NCM's participation at IUGG through the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Sciences (UAEREP) aimed to highlight the UAE's commitment to developing human capabilities and stimulating investments to address the challenges of climate change, water security, and cultivating the lives of local communities in arid regions and beyond.

Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director General of NCM, and President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said: “As the UAE gears up in hosting COP28 later this year, our intensive participation at IUGG General Assembly demonstrates our commitment and desire to strengthen international collaboration and support scientific research aimed at addressing global challenges related to meteorology and geophysics.”

He added: “We look forward to continuing these partnerships for the purpose of reaching sustainable and innovative solutions to address water security issues locally and internationally, as well as strengthening society's ability to deal with climate change and natural resource scarcity.”

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, Alia Al Mazrouei, Director of UAEREP, participated in the meeting of the Expert Team on Weather Modification of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

The team also met with the diplomatic staff of the UAE Embassy in Berlin, chaired by Khalfan Al Matroushi, Deputy Head of Mission, in addition to a group of military and Emirati students on scholarship to Germany.

The aim of this meeting was to introduce the participants to the programme and its achievements that contributed to its entitlement to mark the readiness for the future, and joint work to explore prospects for future collaboration based on the unprecedented scientific achievements of the eleven research projects that received the programme’s grant in this field, which have won five patents registered globally so far.

Alya Al Mazrouei, Director of UAEREP, said: “The participation of NCM in this pioneering event was a valuable opportunity to highlight its experience in enriching rain enhancement research and to showcase its efforts aimed at developing modern and advanced scientific technologies while building human capabilities and competencies capable of enhancing levels of innovation in this crucial scientific field. Through the establishment of effective international partnerships to address the global problem of water scarcity, the programme strives to continue developing and implementing innovative solutions and to achieve a sustainable future for all."

NCM’s participation also included holding introductory meetings with more than 25 researchers and specialists in the fields of weather enhancement from nearly 10 international research institutions, led by the University of Cambridge, NASA, and others, to introduce them to the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Sciences and inform them of the practical and technical developments within the research efforts carried out by the Program.

These meetings contributed to expanding the base of potential applicants for future sessions of the grant programme, as well as identifying potential members of the technical review committee in Germany, Europe, and the world and discussing new research areas that could be added to future sessions of the grant programme.

Ahmed Al Kamali, Rain Operations Executor at NCM, and Dr. Ali Abshaev, UAEREP’s 3rd cycle awardee, and Senior Researcher at the Hail Suppression Research Centre in Russia, also participated in several sessions to review the developments of their research projects. NCM’s participation also included reviewing papers and research projects specialised in earthquakes presented by the staff, on the national earthquake monitoring network and the infrastructure of the NCM in this regard, in addition to reviewing data and statistical outputs related to the seismic record of the centre.

The programme also participated in the exhibition accompanying the General Assembly of the International Union for Terrestrial Nature and Geometry through a special pavilion that provided visitors with an overview of the UAE's position in the field of rain enhancement science and its role in reviving this vital field.