Due to the ongoing threat of the pandemic, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) virtually celebrated the 156th National and 71st World Meteorological Day on Tuesday, March 23.
PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said the agency, which is under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), observed this year’s event virtually for the first time due to strict restrictions imposed amid the health crisis.
With a theme, “The Oceans, our Climate, and Weather,” this year’s event highlighted the role of the ocean as a major driver of the world’s weather and climate.
“In the Philippines, the vast area of the Pacific acts as a heat basin that is the source of energy for large-scale atmospheric systems that consequently influence local disturbances,” Malano said in a statement.
“With our changing climate contributing to higher sea surface temperatures, it is integral to understand how the ocean-atmosphere interaction impacts our weather,” he added.
A scientific forum discussing the how oceans play a role in shaping the country’s weather and climate system was live-streamed on the PAGASA’s official social media page.
Experts from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shared their expertise on the said topics during the online forum.
PAGASA has also recognized the winners of its recently concluded mobile photography contest, which is in line with the celebration’s theme. The winning photos were posted on PAGASA’s official Facebook page.
The World Meteorological Day, observed every March 23, commemorates the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 1950.
In the Philippines, PAGASA celebrates National Meteorological Day by virtue of Proclamation no. 594 signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos in 1995.