in january 2011, several newspapers and magazines, including the uk's "sunday times" and "arabian business", reported that scientists backed by the government of abu dhabi, the capital of the united arab emirates, had created over 50 artificial rainstorms between july and august 2010 near al ain, a city which lies close to the country's border with oman and is the second-largest city in the abu dhabi emirate. the artificial rainstorms were said to have sometimes caused hail, gales and thunderstorms, baffling local residents. the scientists reportedly used ionizers to create the rainstorms, and although the results are disputed, the large number of times it is recorded to have rained right after the ionizers were switched on during a usually dry season is encouraging to those who support the experiment.