Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Okay, maybe the situation in the United Arab Emirates isn't the most dire, but the country does have a very interesting idea for how to create precipitation in its arid desert climate. The UAE wants to build an artificial mountain. Yep, the country has apparently even consulted experts from the U.S.-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) about the proposal.
In desert areas like the UAE, rain can be hard to come by, and part of that is due to the country's topography. A man-made mountain could help force air to rise, which would in turn create clouds, and therefore rainfall, Arabian Business reported Sunday.
On one hand, plain-old rain as the motivation for such an impressive construction seems a bit underwhelming. On the other, innovations like this proposed mountain could mean a new frontier for improving living conditions in arid climates. On the other, other hand, if the nation did build a faux mountain, what would the long-term effects be? And could it have an impact on other parts of the world, too?
As Engadget notes, the mountain will only be created if the UAE's government approves devoting the necessary funds and resources to the endeavour. Right now, NCAR scientists are in the "detailed modeling" phase of this project and will present a report this summer about their initial findings. We may not be able to "move mountains," but we're one step closer to building them.
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