Artificial cloud

Today’s Geo Quiz is hot — very hot! That’s because during the summer, temperatures in this Emirate on the Arabian peninsula can soar above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This country is just about the wealthiest per capita in the world. Maybe that’s one reason soccer’s governing body, FIFA, selected it as host of the 2022 soccer world cup. But here’s the thing: the World Cup is usually played in the summer.

And in this country, that means playing and sitting under the scorching sun. So engineers are considering kind of a wacky solution. It has to do with clouds. But not of the naturally occurring type.

And the country we’re looking for is Qatar, where engineers at the University of Qatar are trying to find ways to shield players and fans from the intense summer heat during the World Cup.

The latest idea? Build giant artificial clouds. These “clouds” would be made of lightweight carbon fiber, and injected with helium.

Each fake cloud would cost about half a million dollars. And that’s got some saying why not just put a roof on each stadium? Or play the World Cup in the winter when the temperature in Qatar is averaging a balmy 75 degrees F.