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Singapore's climate is
classified as tropical
rainforest climate
(Kppen climate classific
ation Af), with no true
distinct seasons.
Weather?
The state of the atmosphere at a particular place
and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness,
sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
There are several elements that make up the
weather of a place.
Five major elements of weather are:
1) Temperature
2) Pressure
3) Wind
4) Humidity
5) Rain
Analysis of these elements can provide the basis
for forecasting weather and defining its climate.
Climate?
The weather conditions prevailing in an area in
general or over a long period.
Climate is the average snow/rainfall, thunder,
lightning, wind, temperature, haze, ete of a
place over a long period of time
Climate is the average and variations of weather
over a long period of time (~30 years)
Singapore
at the equinox
http://www.geogonline.org.uk/g3a_ki2.1.
Twice a year, the angle is as big as it can get, at the summer &
winter solstices, i.e. 23.5 degrees. In the N Hem summer
(solstice = June 21) the north pole is inclined towards the Sun,
in the N Hem winter (solstice = Dec 21) it faces away from it.
Climate Systems
Atmospheric circulation: warm air rises at
the Equator
Sunlight
Climate Systems
ITCZ = Inter-tropical
Atmosphere circulation cells
Convergence
Corriolis force
Zone
Polar Cell
Ferrel
Cell
Hadley
Cell
ITCZ
ITCZ
NW Monsoon
(Dec-March)
Inter-Monsoon
(March-May)
SW Monsoon
(June-Sept)
ITCZ
Wet winds
Wet winds
Moist NE winds in SP
Wettest
Wet
Not so wet
http://www.weather.gov.sg/wip/web/home/clouds
Learn this
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=13662
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=13662
Weather in
Singapore
2nd Feb 2009
http://blackwing.de/blog/category/on-tour/singapore/page/2/
More
rain
Orographic rain
South
http://trulysingapore.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/orchard-road-anti-flood-measures-to-meet-future-needs/
El Nino Year
1997
Buildings have high heat capacity , vegetation has low heat capacity.
5oC warmer
than average
El Nino Years
Walker Circulation
Wetter
Warmer
Drier
Cooler
No fish
La Nina Years
Drier
Wetter
Cooler
Lots of fish
Nutrients
http://www.nicboo.com/sites/default/files/field/image/nino-nina.jpg
Cooler than av
El Nino: drier
La Nina: wetter
El Nino
La Nina
1997
1997 Super
El Nino Hotter, drier
1982/83
El Nino
El Chichon
eruptions
2012
Pinatubo
eruptions
1973/74
La Nina Cooler, wetter
http://app-stg.nccs.gov.sg/data/resources/docs/Documents/NCCS-2012.pdf?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Cloud Classification
Clouds are classified according to cloud base:
(1) High clouds with bases above 6 km
(2) Medium clouds with bases between 2 km 6 km
(3) Low clouds with bases less <2 km
6 km
Cumulonimbus
Cloud formation
The weather in Singapore is dominated by clouds and rain. Clouds
are formed by the condensation of water vapour into water
droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere. The basic requirements
for the formation of a cloud are (a) moist air and (b) a lifting
process.
These 4 lifting processes are
Condensation
Clouds
Turbulence
Mass Ascent by convection
Orographic ascent
(over hills such as
Bukit Temah)
Orographic rain
Mid-morning
Cirrocumulus
Cirrostratus
Altocumulus: mid-morning
Late afternoon
Anvil cloud
Cumulonimbus
http://www.google.com.sg/imgres?q=pictures+of+cumulonimbus
http://lighttalk.via-verlag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/207-Lightning-4.jpg
NE
By mid-afternoon
= thunder cloud
= torrential rain
JI
CBD
Mt F
Prevailing wind
during SW
Monsoon
36 km/hr
Water spouts
2nd Crossing
http://blog.mailasail.com/peregrina/50
Rainbows
Secondary
Primary
Bukit Timah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Double-alaskan-rainbow.jpg
Origin of Rainbows
Angle between
the sun and the
observer is 42o
Secondary
Secondary
Primary
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-473524/Dazzlingimage-circle-rainbow.html
FLASH-BANG!
Speed of sound
~ 350 m/sec
~1260 km/hr
In Singapore, records on
lightning fatalities show
an average of 0.35 deaths
per million population
(year 2000-2003) as
compared to 0.6 in the
United States
Kills 1.75 people per year
Lightning kills fisherman, severely
injures another off Punggol
(Yahoo! Newsroom Mon, Nov 21,
2011)
http://www.weather.gov.sg/wip/web/home/lightning
~180/yr
Max during
equinoxes
when ITCZ is
overhead
Mostly between
2 and 4 pm after
the cumulonimbus clouds
build up
http://www.weather.gov.sg/wip/web/home/lightning
Formation of lightening
Colliding ice particles build up
+ve charge
-ve charge
induced in base
Charges build up
Lightening
spark
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-thunder
Orchard Rd 16th
June, 2010
Flash floods
Conclusions
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat,
cloudiness, haziness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, fog, frost, snow ete.......
Climate is the average and variations of weather over a long period of time
(~30 years)
The tropical climate of Singapore is controlled by the position of the InterTropical Convergence Zone that produces the alternating NE Monsoon (DecMarch), the SW Monsoon (June Sept) & the Inter-monsoons
Singapore is wetter in December, drier in July
The climate of Singapore is modified in unpredictable El Nino (warmer and
drier) and La Nina years (cooler and wetter)
The weather in Singapore is hot (31oC by day, 24oC by night) and often
thundery and wet in the afternoons
It is wetter and cooler in the centre of Singapore: ~4oC cooler than the heat
island in the CBD