The Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department (BDMD) held a forum and exhibition on the sidelines of the main celebration of the World Meteorological Day (WMD) 2021 on Thursday, at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) building.
The forum panel members comprised invited experts from both local and international agencies, while the one-day exhibition involved other related agencies.
Among the participating agencies were the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), the National Seismic Centre (NSC), Survey Department, Fisheries Department and the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS), as well as non-governmental organisations such as the Muara Port Company (MPC), Green Brunei, Poni Divers, Beach Bunch and Progresif Sdn Bhd. The forum discussed topics related to the theme of the celebration, while the exhibition showcased educational information related to the World Meteorological Day 2021’s theme.
The forum moderator was Hassanul Kamal bin Haji Adam, while the panel members were Legislative Council member and Co-founder and Community Engagement Director for Green Brunei Yang Berhormat Khairunissa binti Haji Ash’ari; Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Lecturer Gabriel Yong Yit Vui, and the Chief Meteorological Officer and Acting Deputy Director of BDMD Rokiah binti Haji Anggas.
Joining the forum virtually were Principal Assistant Director of Malaysian Meteorological Department Nursalleh K Chang and National Professional Officer for Disaster Risk Reduction and Tsunami Information Unit of UNESCO Jakarta Office Ardito M Kodijat.
This year’s celebration is devoted to the theme “The Ocean, Our Climate and Weather’, which highlights the central role of the ocean in influencing the world’s weather and climate, as well as in climate change.
As the ocean acts as the Earth’s thermostat and conveyor belt, it absorbs and transforms a significant portion of the sun’s radiation hitting the Earth’s surface, and provides heat and water vapour to the atmosphere.
This heat around the planet is formed and circulated by the enormous horizontal and vertical ocean currents, often for thousands of kilometres, therefore shaping the Earth’s weather and climate on global and local scales.
Credits : Borneo Bulletin