The Bureau of Meteorology and the NEA collaborate on weather, climate research in the maritime continent
07/12/2022
The outcomes of the joint research will help the Meteorological Service Singapore and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology deliver enhanced forecast and warning services for decision-making as well as to guide climate change adaptation plans
Singapore, Melbourne 6 December 2022 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) and The Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau) have signed a Strategic Relationship Arrangement (SRA) to embark on a multi-year collaboration programme on weather and climate research in the Maritime Continent[1] with a focus on the impact in Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific regions.
Under the SRA, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) under NEA and the Bureau will undertake research in areas such as very-short-range weather forecasting for the next 1-2 hours (known as nowcasting) using advanced weather radar data, seasonal prediction and the analysis of regional climate projections data. These research initiatives will contribute to improved prediction of heavy rainfall in Singapore, improved guidance on emerging seasonal climate trends in the region e.g., the El Niño–Southern Oscillation[2] (ENSO), as well as an enhanced understanding of future regional climate change through the sharing and development of novel climate data analysis tools. The outcomes of the joint research will help MSS, and the Bureau deliver enhanced forecast and warning services for decision-making, as well as to guide climate change adaptation plans.
Mr Luke Goh, CEO of NEA, said, “NEA is glad to work with Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, and other world-class partners to better understand the unique tropical weather phenomena in our region. This partnership with the Bureau announced today will improve our understanding and prediction of tropical weather and climate for Southeast Asia and enhance Singapore’s weather and climate services.”
Dr Andrew Johnson, the Bureau's CEO and Director of Meteorology, said, "The Bureau has a close working relationship with MSS, and we are looking to further strengthening our collaboration by strategically uplifting forecasting capabilities and weather knowledge across the tropics, as well as work focusing on tropical processes and improved radar nowcasting. This collaboration will benefit Singapore and Australia as well as our global partners, as we improve capabilities. Further opportunities will also be explored as this partnership grows and supports the four key objectives which underpin the Bureau's decadal Research and Development Plan."
The new bilateral SRA builds on existing collaborations, including the multilateral Unified Model Partnership, of which MSS and the Bureau are already core members, which plans and develops capabilities of one of the world’s leading weather and climate modelling systems. This adoption of a common modelling system for research, forecasting operations and regional climate projections provides a firm basis for advancing the collaboration between MSS and the Bureau.
[1] The Maritime Continent refers to the tropical region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans including the archipelagos of Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines, and the surrounding seas.
[2] ENSO is a recurring climate phenomenon involving the interaction between the atmosphere and ocean in the tropical Pacific Ocean and can affect weather patterns globally.
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