Tracking the haze, forecasting weather,
ASMC helps make Southeast Asia safer



Knowing the course of a typhoon or the direction that the haze will be taking in a few hours could mean the difference between life and death, between safety and disaster to people travelling on sea or by air.

That difference is provided on a regular basis to the Southeast Asian region by the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC) which was established in.: January 1993 and based at the premises of the Singapore Meteorological Service.

The mission of the ASMC is to raise the quality and effectiveness of the national meteorological services of ASEAN member countries through regional collaboration. This collaboration involves the pooling of substantial computing resources and expertise that are required to run state-of-the-a weather prediction models.

The main activities of the ASMC are research and development and producing objective weather forecasts for its members. It makes use of such advanced techniques as Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), which involves highly complex mathematical calculations to predict the future state of the atmosphere. The Centre runs a few NWP models to generate short-to medium- term weather forecasts, both globally and for the region. Its findings are disseminated to ASEAN national meteorological services (NMSS) daily through the global telecommunication system.

Over the last five years, several scientists from the ASEAN NMSs have been attached to the Centre for Periods ranging from six months to two years.They have been involved in research and development in various areas of meteorology, using a wide range of computer and information processing facilities available at the Centre.

The ASMC conducts training workshops annually For meteorologists from the ASEAN region and developing countries to keep them abreast of rapid advances in meteorology. Among the topics covered in the workshops are NWP interpretation and satellite image processing.

The services of the ASMC became particularly urgent in recent years as episodes of transboundary haze from forest fires developed into a major problem of the region. The problem became critical in 1994 and 1997, occasioning serious health and navigational hazards. At an ASEAN Meeting on the Management of Transboundary Haze held in 1995, the ASMC was designated the focal point to coordinate with ASEAN NMSs in the detection and monitoring of transboundary haze.

During the 1997 episode, the ASMC disseminated processed satellite information and related weather data to the affected member countries on a daily basis to assist them in managing this grave challenge. The monitoring of smoke haze in the region was carried out at the Centre using computer-enhanced satellite pictures to locate the hot spots or the fire sources. Numerical simulations of the movement and dispersion of the smoke haze using a pollution dispersion model were also carried out.

Some parts of the region are affected by tropical storms which can cause extensive damage to life and property. There is a need to forecast the storms and other severe weather systems with greater accuracy. At a recent meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics in Singapore, the provision of storm forecasts for the region was projected as a possible future role for the ASMC.