According to data collected by the Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department, the Sultanate is getting wetter and warmer.
On average, Brunei’s maximum temperature is going up by +0.3 degrees Celsius with mean temperature increasing by 0.6 degrees Celsius while the annual rainfall is showing a rising trend, with the mean rainfall increasing to 37.2mm.
The data recorded at the BIA Observational Station was revealed by Harnina Morani from the Meteorological Department in her presentation on Brunei’s climate during a parallel session of the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) 2017, held at The Rizqun International Hotel recently.
Showing charts and graphs of the increase in rainfall, Harnina Morani explained that the “recent trend shows significant increase in rainfall from January to April and slight increase from June to August. The months of January to April are getting wetter in recent years.
“The annual total rainfall is showing an increasing trend. There is a significant increase from 2006 to 2011 and the recent trend shows a mean rainfall of 37.2mm,” she said.
Meanwhile, she highlighted that Brunei was affected by strong El Nino years – 1982-1983, 1997-1998 and 2015-2016, while 2009-2010 was a moderate El Nino year. The maximum temperature tends to peak during El Nino years.
Source: Borneo Bulletin | 18 August 2017
