Scientists can make it rain in the Abu Dhabi desert

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Steely Dan

Steely Dan

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...Most of the artificially created storms were at the height of the summer in July and August when there is historically no rain at all, Britain's Daily Mail reported Monday.

Scientists working for United Arab Emirates President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan have been using giant ionizers, metal antennas on steel poles, to generate fields of negatively charged particles.

The particles attract tiny specks of dust ever-present in the atmosphere in desert regions, and are carried up from the particle emitter by rising air over the hot desert.

Once the dust particles reach the right height for cloud formation, the charged particles attract water molecules present in the air, which then start to condense around them....
 
Probably not a good idea to mess with nature.
 
Marie said:
Probably not a good idea to mess with nature.
Click to expand...

Too late. We've been messy with nature for hundreds of years. (And that doesn't count things like aqueducts from pre-industrial cultures.)

But I think it's safe to say every "achievement" also brings an unintended consequence.
 
If this technology can be used in other areas and help feed people I say try it but monitor closely for any adverse effects first.
 
One story always sticks out in my mind, when I was little my father who was in the navy told me that the government was trying to stop hurricanes, they did something and the hurricane split into two hurricanes, and killed a lot of people on an island that wasn't expecting a hurricane. I always worry when they mess with the weather because by doing one thing could cause something catastrophic somewhere else. I think it only rains in the desert one in a while because it's suppose to. That's the way it has been for hundreds of years. If the water doesn't come to you, go to the water.
 
Hate to bring everything back to the dead fish and bird thing,but heard a guy on the radio say,he thinks this is the dead wildlife is due to governments manipulating weather.
 
legalmania said:
One story always sticks out in my mind, when I was little my father who was in the navy told me that the government was trying to stop hurricanes, they did something and the hurricane split into two hurricanes, and killed a lot of people on an island that wasn't expecting a hurricane. I always worry when they mess with the weather because by doing one thing could cause something catastrophic somewhere else. I think it only rains in the desert one in a while because it's suppose to. That's the way it has been for hundreds of years. If the water doesn't come to you, go to the water.
Click to expand...

I just don't believe in messing with what God created. Like you said, it only rains there sometimes because that is the climate.
When PEOPLE start trying to "perfect" God's work, I think we are in trouble.

JMO
 
Kimberlyd125 said:
I just don't believe in messing with what God created. Like you said, it only rains there sometimes because that is the climate.
When PEOPLE start trying to "perfect" God's work, I think we are in trouble.

JMO
Click to expand...

So you're Amish? Even they aren't adverse to clearing the wilderness and tilling the soil.

Personally, I'm thankful for antibiotics, pasteurization and chlorinated water, not to mention dams (including the electricity they produce), seawalls, canals and flood channels.

Which isn't to say that all of these don't have unintended consequences. Or that we shouldn't be careful when we interfere with the weather.
 
I'm not a meteorologist but it seems that pulling moisture out of the air over the desert will make dryer air hit the oceans and could possibly lower the severity of hurricanes due to their being less moisture in the air. JMO
 
Steely Dan said:
I'm not a meteorologist but it seems that pulling moisture out of the air over the desert will make dryer air hit the oceans and could possibly lower the severity of hurricanes due to their being less moisture in the air. JMO
Click to expand...

Perhaps. But despite my response to Kimberly above (I really do think it's too late to say we "shouldn't mess" with God's creation), I think one can tell from almost any weather report that weather systems are still poorly understood.

I certainly think scientists should proceed cautiously before moving rainfall from one place to another.
 
Nova said:
Perhaps. But despite my response to Kimberly above (I really do think it's too late to say we "shouldn't mess" with God's creation), I think one can tell from almost any weather report that weather systems are still poorly understood.

I certainly think scientists should proceed cautiously before moving rainfall from one place to another.
Click to expand...

I agree, I'm just saying there may actually be a benefit to it.
 
Nova said:
So you're Amish? Even they aren't adverse to clearing the wilderness and tilling the soil.

Personally, I'm thankful for antibiotics, pasteurization and chlorinated water, not to mention dams (including the electricity they produce), seawalls, canals and flood channels.

Which isn't to say that all of these don't have unintended consequences. Or that we shouldn't be careful when we interfere with the weather.
Click to expand...

No I'm not Amish. But, I believe trying to change weather is a lot different than the examples you gave. Tilling soil and changing weather patterns are very much a different thing. I'm sure you can understand that.

It's my opinion.
 
Steely Dan said:
I'm not a meteorologist but it seems that pulling moisture out of the air over the desert will make dryer air hit the oceans and could possibly lower the severity of hurricanes due to their being less moisture in the air. JMO
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that's a meteorologically sound notion since Atlantic hurricanes are spurned from the hot, dry air of the Sahara. Regardless, the main concern (when we start dk'ing around with the atmosphere) should always be the chain reaction that is sure to ensue.
 
Interesting.

Not sure what to make of it yet.

JMHO
 
Kimberlyd125 said:
No I'm not Amish. But, I believe trying to change weather is a lot different than the examples you gave. Tilling soil and changing weather patterns are very much a different thing. I'm sure you can understand that.

It's my opinion.
Click to expand...

Tilling the soil messes with nature and done improperly, may leave an area unable to support anything but weeds. Even done properly, it reduces the area of natural forests and the oxygen they produce. All the other examples I gave are also ones of humans "messing" with nature.

So it's hundreds of years too late to opine that we not alter nature.

Humans have been changing the weather since at least the start of the Industrial Revolution. There's a reason so many modern battles took place in the rain and mud: the particles emitted by weaponry can cause droplets to form and fall.

All of which is nothing compared with what our carbon emissions may do to weather around the entire globe.
 
Nova said:
Tilling the soil messes with nature and done improperly, may leave an area unable to support anything but weeds. Even done properly, it reduces the area of natural forests and the oxygen they produce. All the other examples I gave are also ones of humans "messing" with nature.

So it's hundreds of years too late to opine that we not alter nature.

Humans have been changing the weather since at least the start of the Industrial Revolution. There's a reason so many modern battles took place in the rain and mud: the particles emitted by weaponry can cause droplets to form and fall.

All of which is nothing compared with what our carbon emissions may do to weather around the entire globe.
Click to expand...

While I agree our climate and environment are affected by a lot of things, to me that is much different than changing weather patterns in a certain part of the world intentionally in an attempt to perfect God's work. It does not rain much in the dessert. IMO God must have good reason for that.

BIG difference to me and my opinion.
 
Kimberlyd125 said:
While I agree our climate and environment are affected by a lot of things, to me that is much different than changing weather patterns in a certain part of the world intentionally in an attempt to perfect God's work. It does not rain much in the dessert. IMO God must have good reason for that.

BIG difference to me and my opinion.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to be snarky I just want to point some things out.

God must have a reason for giving people polio, smallpox, cancer, extreme pain without reason etc...

However, we have conquered or are trying to conquer those things. It's not always bad to move ahead scientifically. I'm just very wary that all of the proper testing has been done. Especially since it's a commercial venture.
 
Steely Dan said:
I'm not trying to be snarky I just want to point some things out.

God must have a reason for giving people polio, smallpox, cancer, extreme pain without reason etc...

However, we have conquered or are trying to conquer those things. It's not always bad to move ahead scientifically. I'm just very wary that all of the proper testing has been done. Especially since it's a commercial venture.
Click to expand...

I'm coming over and counting your ambien!:rocker:

I really don't get what Gods reasons would be. Was my dad getting close to a cure for something he (God) didn't want the world cured of? And personally, I'm tired of the extreme pain all the time. I always say to my Dr. C'mon already, it's 2010-11 already, isn't there an all day pill yet?
(pill, not patches)
 
Steely Dan said:
I'm not trying to be snarky I just want to point some things out.

God must have a reason for giving people polio, smallpox, cancer, extreme pain without reason etc...

However, we have conquered or are trying to conquer those things. It's not always bad to move ahead scientifically. I'm just very wary that all of the proper testing has been done. Especially since it's a commercial venture.
Click to expand...

It is my opinion that we should do all we can to help people who are sick and in need. But, we are talking about messing with WEATHER. Maybe many do not see the difference, but I think it is much different.
To find medications that are natural, or using the Earth's resources to make man made medications is much different to me than a making it rain more in climates that don't see much rain.

I understand if you don't see it that way, but I do.

ETA: There is a TON of land on our Earth that gets rain naturally.
 
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