Compiled by Angel Sales

Year 2007 was a time of extremes for meteorologists. Several extreme weather events occurred in various parts of the world. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global land surface temperatures for January and April in 2007 were the hottest since recording began in 1880. An increase of up to more than 1 degree Celsius was recorded last year. From heat waves to flooding, here are some of the extreme weather events:

Wettest summer in Britain causes massive flooding
Month occurred: May to July
Damage assessment: 3 billion pounds worth of damages
50,000 people without power supply
140,000 homes without potable drinking water
Extreme condition: More than 200 percent increase in the average recorded rainfall in some areas of Britain
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What to consider in developing seaside settlements

Architects, engineers and planners should take scientific data and practical information on water-related natural phenomena (tides, wave action, typhoons, storm surges, tsunamis) into consideration when developing settlement areas, according to Dr. Laura David, Deputy Director for Instruction of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. She emphasizes that the Philippines is an island country where land is not limitless and 67 percent of Filipinos live close to the seas and ocean, and that consequently, these have implications on how we develop our built environment. Dr. David presents the following practical guidelines for designers, planners and developers:

• Tides are actually related to earth’s distance from the sun and moon. This means that when doing site assessment, the best time to visit a site is during a full moon in the period between the late December to early January because the tides are at its highest level.(January is the month when the sun is closest to the earth.) One can see the effects of tide especially in coastal areas at full moon.
• Wave action creates areas of embayment and protrusion in coastal land forms. It is considered better to locate a building site at the area of protrusion since embayment areas are constantly eroded by wave action.

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Low-lying coastal areas such as Navotas are at risk to rising sea levels brought about by global warming and land subsidence

By Gerald A. Galgana, Sergio C. Abad II, Emmi B. Capili, May Celine T. M. Vicente, Jose Ramon T. Villarin, and Joel D. De Mesa

Coastal areas are continually being threatened by rising sea levels brought about by global warming. In Manila Bay, land subsidence (sinking of land) due to excessive ground water extraction aggravates the situation.

Climate change or global warming, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), refers to the rapid increase of global temperature in a certain period due to man-made activities. The planet earth allows itself to maintain a certain range of temperature essential to life. this is through the greenhouse effect, which serves as a blanket that keeps the earth warm. However, industrialization has disturbed this natural process and increased the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The increased concentrations trap the heat in the atmoshpere, making the planet warmer. Read more »