UAE Rains: Extreme Weather Events to Become ‘More Frequent’ in Future, Says Expert

The Increasing Trend in Climate Extreme Events in the UAE.

One of the findings from ethical temperatures in the UAE, collected by Dr. Diana Francis, Senior Research Scientist and the Head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) lab at Khalifa University, is that the UAE will experience more frequent extreme weather events in future. The dividing line between winter and spring at the same time is increasing as the world warms up consequently resulting in an increase in rainfall in spring and longer and hotter summers in the region according to an exclusive interview with Dr. Francis published in Khaleej Times.

Effects of Global Warming on Meteorology Conditions.

Dr Francis noted that the heavy rainfall recorded in the UAE as recorded on 16/4/18 is a direct consequence of global warming. She said this while quoting IPCC reports which state that heatwaves and downpours get to be frequent and even intense with increase in global temperature. These changes are elicited by changes in weather by diverse geographical locations.

The Poleward Shift and the Climate Zones: Equatorial Heat.

The expert’s recent paper on climate patterns in the Middle East and North Africa MENA, suggests that the region will generally continue to warm and become drier with more extreme weather events by the end of this century. For example the UAE and the southern part of the Peninsula seem to be bound to more spring rains followed by summer heat wave increase. In the brilliant side of things the northern regions of countries such as Saudi Arabia will be expected to receive more of drought since the climatic regions will shift as a result of global warming.

Climate change response strategies and adaptation.

With regard to long-term solutions for the future of global warming, Dr. Francis brought up international collaboration and knowledge sharing as critical ways to address the identified issues. Science and research were therefore emphasised as crucial in formulating adaptation responses. It is worth noting that some efforts have already been initiated in the UAE where efforts are made to evaluate and improve the performance of infrastructure against extreme weather events. Hence these efforts are targeted at ensuring there is a firm scientific basis on which to base future strategy that would aim at alleviating the effects of climate change.

Dr. Francis emphasized that for future opportunities to have greater success, they must be founded on a solid base of scientific information and research to maintain resilience and sustainability in an era emphasizing on extreme weather events.