Satellite-based precipitation products are becoming available at very high temporal and spatial resolutions, which has accelerated their use in various hydro-meteorological and hydro-climatological applications. Because the quantitative accuracy of such products is affected by numerous factors related to atmospheric and terrain properties, validating them over different regions and environments is needed. This study investigated the performance of two high-resolution global satellite-based precipitation products: the climate prediction center MORPHing technique (CMORPH) and the latest version of the Integrated Multi-SatellitE Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) algorithm (IMERG), V06, over the United Arab Emirates from 2010 through 2018. The estimates of the products and that of 71 in situ rain gauges distributed across the country were compared by employing several common quantitative, categorical, and graphical statistical measures at daily, event-duration, and annual temporal scales, and at the station and study area spatial scales. Both products perform quite well in rainfall detection (above 70%), but report rainfall not observed by the rain gauges at an alarming rate (more than 30%), especially for light rain (lower quartile). However, for moderate and intense (upper quartiles) rainfall rates, performance is much better. Because both products are highly correlated with rain gauge observations (mostly above 0.7), the satellite rainfall estimates can probably be significantly improved by removing the bias. Overall, the CMORPH and IMERG estimates demonstrate great potential for filling spatial gaps in rainfall observations, in addition to improving the temporal resolution. However, further improvement is required, regarding the overestimation and underestimation of small and large rainfall amounts, respectively.

The United Arab Emirates is moving towards the use of renewable energy for many reasons, including the country’s high energy consumption, unstable oil prices, and increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The usage of electric vehicles can improve public health and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. Thus, the usage of renewable energy resources to meet the demands of electric vehicles is the major challenge influencing the development of an optimal smart system that can satisfy energy requirements, enhance sustainability and reduce negative environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to examine different configurations of hybrid renewable energy systems for electric vehicle charging in Abu Dhabi city, UAE. A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate previous electric vehicle charging approaches and formulate the problem accordingly. Subsequently, methods for acquiring data with respect to the energy input and load profiles were determined, and a techno-economic analysis was performed using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software. The results demonstrated that the optimal electric vehicle charging model comprising solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, batteries and a distribution grid was superior to the other studied configurations from the technical, economic and environmental perspectives. An optimal model could produce excess electricity of 22,006 kWh/year with an energy cost of 0.06743 USD/kWh. Furthermore, the proposed battery–grid–solar photovoltaics–wind turbine system had the highest renewable penetration and thus reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 384 tons/year. The results also indicated that the carbon credits associated with this system could result in savings of 8786.8 USD/year. This study provides new guidelines and identifies the best indicators for electric vehicle charging systems that will positively influence the trend in carbon dioxide emissions and achieve sustainable electricity generation. This study also provides a valid financial assessment for investors looking to encourage the use of renewable energy.

Current water demands are adequately satisfied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the available water resources. However, the changing climate and growing water demand pose a great challenge for water resources managers in the country. Hence, there is a great need for management strategies and policies to use the most accurate information regarding water availability. Understanding the frequency and the short- and long-term trends of the precipitation by employing high-resolution data in both the spatial and temporal domains can provide invaluable information. This study examines the long-term precipitation trends over the UAE using 17 years of data from three of the most highly cited satellite-based precipitation products and rain gauge data observed at 18 stations. The UAE received, on average, 42, 51, and 120 wet hours in a year in the 21st century as recorded by CMORPH, PERSIANN, and IMERG, respectively. The results show that the areal average annual precipitation of the UAE is significantly lower in the early 21st century than that of the late 20th century, even though it shows an increasing trend by all the products. The Mann–Kendall trend test showed positive trends in six rain gauge stations and negative trends in two stations out of 18 stations, all of which are located in the wetter eastern part of the UAE. Results indicate that satellite products have great potential for improving the spatial aspects of rainfall frequency analysis and can complement rain gauge data to develop rainfall intensity–duration–frequency curves in a very dry region, where the installation of dense rain gauge networks is not feasible.

In this study, indoor water use at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was assessed for three years (2016, 2017, and 2018). A geographic information system (GIS) was employed to determine where water use is high within the university, when and why water is used, who uses it, and how to minimize its usage. Diverse data were employed to elucidate the broad patterns of university water use. It was assumed that water use is directly proportional to the number of students and is lower during winter. The relationship between water use and number of students in academic buildings was modeled using least squares regression. The results indicate a low correlation between water use and the number of students, possibly due to the centralized usage of academic buildings and movement of students between them. The hypothesis of activity-driven consumption indicated that most water use occurred in residential buildings (47.5%), averaging 81.7 L per person per day (LPD). This value is lower than the metrics for dormitories in the United States (121 LPD) and Europe (143 LPD). A survey of 412 students revealed that half the respondents were not aware of water issues. Most of them (87%) preferred to drink bottled water and were not willing to use gray water for flushing (56%) or urinals (60%). The findings of this study will improve the understanding of university water use which will facilitate the development of effective water conservation policies and the establishment of such practices among the next generation.

This study examines the relationship between food waste and gender, income, and where students live. The research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2, 11, and 12; moreover, the massive global food shortage in 2022 due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine makes saving food a priority. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 201 students at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). A large proportion of the respondents were female (71.6%). The most common reasons cited by the respondents for food waste were over purchasing (31% of respondents), attitude (26.5%), and poor management (24%), while the most common reasons for having extra-cooked food were expecting guests (46%) and wanting to eat the food that had been prepared (35%). The majority of the respondents (57%) agreed that young people waste more food than older people. The methodology used in this study could be adopted by other researchers around the globe, and the output may help in developing policies and designing educational material for food waste intervention programs. Beneficiaries may therefore include food producers/consumers, environmental departments, and charitable organizations. The research contributes to the knowledge about food waste, perception, and intervention programs.