Seasonal Variation of Cloud Properties and Microphysics over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Cloud seeding is considered a controversial topic. Many operational programs worldwide have produced mixed results. The effectiveness depends on the type of clouds, the weather conditions and type of seeding method. Remote sensing techniques can provide valuable information for numerous of these cloud properties. CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) is a spaceborne lidar instrument, launched in April 2006, providing high resolution vertical profiles of cloud and aerosol properties such as cloud height and cloud ice effective radius. This complete and continuous dataset can be useful in analyzing the climatology of clouds over The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and help develop a water resource management plan. The present study aims to perform a climatological assessment in all different precipitation zones of The Kingdom. To understand the formation of precipitation, studying the convection at various periods throughout the year and the complex microphysics of short-lived cloud cells is critical. Analysing the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud droplets and ice particle size, cloud base and cloud top height, we can determine the optimum cloud seeding method and timing.