Today-Mar 23
Records spanning 50 years suggest that Singapore’s man-made urban environment is one factor contributing to the trend of warmer average temperatures here, especially at night. A Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) report published on Thursday (March 23) found evidence to support the “urban heat island effect” by comparing long-term temperature trends in a relatively green part of the island with those in a fairly built-up area. This effect is a phenomenon where air temperatures in built-up areas are significantly warmer than those in greener areas. It noted that the heat island effect was just one factor contributing to the trend, along with other factors such as global climate change. Previous editions of the Annual Climate Assessment Singapore published by the Met Service have made passing reference to the urban heat island effect. However, the 2022 edition published on Thursday was the first to include a subsection specifically on the urban heat island effect. Singapore, like all cities, suffers from the urban heat island effect, said Professor Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore. He told TODAY that this was something that cities have to grapple with while at the same time contending with the separate effects of climate change. “It may become so severe that those elderly or young or infirm cannot be outside at certain parts of the day,” said Prof Horton. Read more at:
