Abu Dhabi: Climate change and El Nino phenomenon are the cause of recent heavy rains in UAE and Oman, study says.
The international media reported citing the study conducted by the international team of climate experts that the El Nino phenomenon, which increases the temperature of the surface water of the ocean, increased the intensity of the rain.
Researchers at the World Weather Attribution Group found that the El Niño phenomenon is 10–40% stronger in this region of the Arabian Peninsula. Global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels is also attributed to the increased intensity of rainfall.
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Frederic Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute-Climate Change and Environment, Imperial College London, said the El Niño phenomenon and human-induced climate change were responsible for the heavy rains in the UAE and Oman. Mariam Zakaria, a researcher at the Grantham Institute, said the finding was not surprising and agrees with the basic physics principle that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture.
