Singapore's crazy weather is going to get crazier, say scientists
Don't forget the sunscreen the next time you're out and about in town.Study points to rise in Singapore temperature, sea levels
The year is 2010 but is there a "2012" type flood heading for Singapore's fair shores? Probably not, but scientists are warning that the island will become hotter, sea levels could rise by more than half a meter, and there could be more extreme weather events such as floods over the next century.
The Straits Times reported that the findings were from a study on the long-term effects of climate change conducted by researchers from the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It revealed that by 2100 the average daily temperature here could increase by between 2.7 and 4.4 degrees Celsius from the present average of 26.8 degrees Celsius. In the same time-frame, sea levels could rise by between 24 and 65 cm.
At the same time, Channel NewsAsia reported that February was the driest month in 140 years, since 1869, when records of rainfall first started for Singapore -- only 6.3 millimeters of rain fell in the month.
What's Singapore doing to cope with these changes? Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said in a Parliamentary session that Singapore would expand its network of water sensors and redesign drainage systems to cope with freak weather events.
