PETALING JAYA: A more detailed study is needed on how Malaysia and its neighbours are affected by the El Nino phenomenon, especially with global warming, says an expert.
The impact should be viewed collectively with Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and south Thailand as one unit, while Borneo could be viewed as a separate unit, said Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah.The Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences senior research fellow said Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia should not be viewed as individual countries when studying the impact of El Nino
.“This way, you can better observe changes in the monsoon, especially the north-east monsoon in the southern part of the South China Sea.“As it is, the north-east monsoon in this area has intensified since the 90s.“This results in stronger winds, which translate to more rain and greater erosion, especially in localities on the east coast facing the South China Sea,” he said.
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Prof Azizan, who is also with the National Antarctic Research Centre, added that the resulting rainfall could be seen in extreme flooding in areas like Kelantan on the east coast of the peninsula or Narathiwat in Thailand.
“We had it bad in 2014, while Narathiwat felt the brunt in 2013.
“Similarly, Haatyai in Thailand experienced severe flooding recently. All belong to the same system,” he said.
Prof Azizan was referring to the floods that struck Kelantan in 2014, displacing tens of thousands of residents and which coincided with the north-east monsoon period.Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Johor were also affected by floods.
Floods have also ravaged south Thailand over the past decade, with the most recent instance being in December last year.
