Aiming to improve weather prediction and climate projection capabilities in Singapore and the region, a new research programme was launched yesterday.
The multi-year programme will boost weather and climate research in Singapore and the wider South-East Asian and Indo-Pacific regions.
It forms part of a strategic relationship agreement between Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
Research will go into very-short-range weather forecasting – predictions for the next two hours – using advanced weather radar data, seasonal prediction, and the analysis of regional climate projections data, said both agencies yesterday.
As such, these research initiatives will also contribute to improved prediction of heavy rainfall in Singapore, through improved guidance on emerging seasonal climate trends in the region and the sharing and development of novel climate data analysis tools, they added.
For instance, improved predictive performance should be expected regarding the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (Enso), a naturally occurring Pacific Ocean phenomenon that has major impacts on the world’s weather.
Enso comprises the El Nino warm phase and La Nina cool phase.
The El Nino phase usually triggers heavy rain in parts of South America and dry, hotter weather in South-East Asia and Australia.
Strong El Ninos typically lead to a spike in global temperatures. — The Straits Times/ANN