Drones that fly into clouds, giving them an electric shock to "cajole them" into producing rain, are about to be tested in the United Arab Emirates.
The country already uses cloud-seeding technology, dropping salt to encourage precipitation.
But with average rainfall in the UAE at just 100mm per year, the country wants to generate more.
In 2017, the government provided $15m (£10.8m) for nine different rain-enhancement projects.
Scientists at the University of Reading are heading one of them.
The project aims to change the balance of electrical charge on cloud droplets, explained Prof Maarten Ambaum, who worked on the project.
"The water table is sinking drastically in [the] UAE and the purpose of this is to try to help with rainfall," he told the BBC.
The country does, though, "have plenty of clouds", so the plan is to persuade the water droplets in them to merge and stick together, "like dry hair to a comb" when it meets static electricity, he said.
"When the drops merge and are big enough, they will fall as rain."
Alya Al-Mazroui, director of the UAE's rain-enhancement science-research program, told Arab News: "Equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments and customised sensors, these drones will fly at low altitudes and deliver an electric charge to air molecules, which should encourage precipitation."
The study will then be evaluated, with the hope of more funding for a larger aircraft to deliver the payload in future.
Latest Stories
-
Story of a survivor championing patient-led approach to dealing with NCDs in Ghana
2 mins -
Haiti’s PM Ariel Henry resigns as transitional council is sworn in
24 mins -
Unforgettable stories from Primary School English text books
24 mins -
Jodie Comer to star in 28 Days Later sequel
32 mins -
CAFCC: GH₵36k for Baba Yara Stadium usage was for GFA, not Dreams FC – NSA clarifies
39 mins -
‘Lost’ Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m
39 mins -
CAFCC: Zamalek arrive in Kumasi ahead of second leg against Dreams FC
43 mins -
Megan Thee Stallion: Cameraman accuses rapper of ‘hostile’ workplace
43 mins -
I would rather invest GH₵50,000 in my soul than go for body enhancement – Celestine Donkor
57 mins -
Four interdicted headteachers transferred after GES probe
1 hour -
Plastic Pollution: UN leads negotiations for international legally binding instrument to regulate usage
1 hour -
UKGCC to tour Golden Exotics on May 2, 2024 as part of World Press Freedom Day
1 hour -
NIC leads insurance firms to donate blood as part of 2023 Blood Donation Campaign
2 hours -
EC sets May 7 to 27 for voters’ register update
2 hours -
Lekzy Decomic, Clemento Suarez, OB Amponsah, others honoured at Ghana Comedy Awards
2 hours