UAEREP to Host 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum from 28 to 30 January 2025
UAEREP to Host 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum from 28
December 31, 2024
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of Presidential Court, the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, will host the seventh edition of the International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF). IREF is a global platform at the forefront of rain enhancement research that convenes leading international and national experts, researchers, scientists and stakeholders to tackle critical water and sustainability issues worldwide.
Tuesday to Thursday
28-30 January 2025
Gain unparalleled knowledge from leading experts through carefully curated sessions focused on the latest advancements in rain enhancement and water security.
Engage in meaningful dialogues with thought leaders to explore actionable strategies that address the challenges of climate change and water scarcity.
Build connections with key stakeholders, from industry leaders to researchers, and foster partnerships that drive global solutions in water sustainability.
IREF will be gathering the best and brightest local and international experts where they will be utilizing their years of experience into presentations and discussions around the latest updates on Rain Enhancement, Meteorology and Weather Forecasting
Minister of Climate Change and Environment
Director General of the UAE National Center of Meteorology (NCM), President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Chief of Government Services of the UAE Government, Prime Minister’s Office
Permanent Representative of the UAE, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
CEO, Bayanat Smart Solutions, Space42
President of the World Water Council, ISC Co-Chair
Chief Innovation Officer, Technology Innovation Institute
President Weather Modification International
CEO of Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence, G42
Co-founder and Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group (EEG)
Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative (MBZWI)
Executive Director, SilverLining
Professor and Vice Chancellor for Research, American University of Sharjah
Member of UAEREP’s Strategic Direction Committee (SDC)
Senior Advisor, Georgetown University’s Earth Commons Institute
CEO and Founder of the Climate and Water Initiative
Director of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP)
Professor, High Mountain Geophysical Institute of Russian Hydrometeorological Service
Senior Researcher, Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA)
Director, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research, AI for Science
Climate Scientist, University of Cape Town
Professor, Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Senior Director, High Power Lasers and Applications, Directed Energy Research Center (DERC), Technology Innovation Institute (TII)
Research Group Leader, ETH Zurich
Chief Climate Scientist, SilverLining
Cloud Seeding Program Manager, Idaho Department of Water Resources
Professor, Khalifa University (KU)
Deputy Director, Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E)
Associate Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology
Senior Scientist, University of Hohenheim
Deputy Director, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Professor, North-West University
Researcher, Active Interventions in Atmosphere SA
Associate Provost for Graduate Education, Dean of the Graduate School, Michigan
Chief Scientist, China Meteorological Administration (CMA)
General Manger, Fluid Codes
News Presenter, Dubai Eye Radio, Arabian Radio Network
Researcher and Program Officer, NCM
Professional Master of Ceremonies (MC), Public Speaking Specialist
At the International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) today and engage in high-level and technical discussions on advancing the science and technology of rain enhancement.
Check out the themes and schedule for all sessions
Tuesday
Two distinguished advisory members of UAEREP will share their insights on the program transformative journey, highlighting how strategic investments have driven scientific advancements and innovation in rainfall enhancement.
Participants will explore innovative strategies and collaborative efforts needed to ensure sustainable water management and resilience in the face of climate-driven uncertainties.
This session aims to foster collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to address the pressing issue of water security, ultimately contributing to global efforts in mitigating climate change impacts.
This session will explore the synergies between AI and physics-based models and data science for climate and weather research. Experts will discuss how these hybrid approaches enhance forecasting accuracy and advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics, while exploring the latest innovations and implications for climate intervention and weather modification techniques.
Wednesday
This session will focus on how advances in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technologies can contribute to rainfall enhancement efforts. Topics will encompass the multifaceted challenges across technology readiness, local regulatory and operational constraints and techno-economic considerations, in addition to the feasibility of autonomous real-time decision making for weather modification applications. The session comprises a series of technical presentations followed by a panel discussion.
This session will unravel the growing interest in the exploration of new cloud seeding materials – both glaciogenic and hygroscopic agents – pushing the state-of-the-art in material science and particle manufacturing toward implementation in cloud seeding operations. The socio-economic, logistical, regulatory and other considerations involved in the transition from the lab setting to operational environments will be discussed through case studies along with the identification of priority areas for the accelerated discovery and testing of novel cloud seeding materials. The session comprises a series of technical presentations followed by a panel discussion.
This session comprises poster presentations during which students and early-career scientists participating in UAEREP projects and/or conducting research relevant to rainfall enhancement can present their work. Presenters will include participants from local and international research centers, higher education institutions and initiatives, providing a platform for next generation of researchers and innovators to discuss the latest advancements in the field of rainfall enhancement.
Thursday
This session will cover the growing interest in and current discussions surrounding geoengineering for climate change mitigation, with a focus on its implications for rainfall enhancement. Discussions will explore how trends in geoengineering and/or landform modification relate to engineering solutions specifically aimed at enhancing rainfall. The session will feature presentations and discussions on the latest trends and their potential impacts on rainfall enhancement efforts.
This session, covering the final technical theme of the workshop, will showcase non-conventional and innovative research applications for enhanced rain-bearing cloud formation and/or rainfall enhancement. The topics include both ground-based and airborne systems and platforms for directed energy and/or material release beyond traditional cloud seeding techniques. The session aims to address the question of whether rain-bearing cloud formation is feasible and, if so, how it can be achieved?
Explore our captivating collection of moments captured through stunning photos and videos, showcasing the highlights and essence of our events.
Hear from experts and partners sharing their experiences and insights in advancing rain enhancement science and technology
Rain enhancement is a very important initiative for the UAE given its relevance to the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and the UAE Food Security Strategy. This is the underlying reason for rain enhancement to be one of the seven pillars of the UAE's innovation strategy.
Among the adaptation measures available today, rain enhancement has the potential to play a significant role in mitigating drought and reducing temperatures. Addressing water scarcity is also a priority in the UAE’s second nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement.
Everybody's talking about the weather, but nobody's doing anything about it. I'm happy to say that this group of scientists and supporters is indeed doing something about it. Water is part of the food-water-energy nexus, crucial for human existence.
Addressing challenges like water security requires a strong science and technology community, capable of analyzing and developing innovative solutions. Water security is not just a regional issue but a global one.
The impacts of climate change are very visible. We have seen changes in global precipitation and evaporation patterns, which threaten water resource availability for human beings, agriculture, industry, and various other purposes. Enhancing the amount of rain by injecting chemicals into clouds is a much-needed and interesting approach to combat this negative trend caused by climate change. This conference has been very timely in that sense, and from WMO’s side, we are grateful to the UAE government for financing this important activity.
We have a lot of scientists from all over the world, a lot of researchers and people in the field working on rain enhancement and climate change.
We are here looking forward to the new findings in research and advancements in the technology of rain enhancement, as well as in modeling and AI technologies applied to the forecast of cloud formations and rain enhancement.
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Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Corniche Rd - Al Bateen - Abu Dhabi
Email : info@iref.ae
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UAEREP to Host 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum from 28
Three-day forum runs under patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 8 January 2023 – Under the Patronage of
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Hosted by the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science and under the supervision of the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology (NCM)
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