The dynamics behind urban expansion impacts on southwest monsoon rainfall

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the dynamics behind the impacts of major urban expansion in Metro Manila on the Southwest Monsoon rainfall during July to September. We use a climate model to simulate this three-month period for ten different years, using two land cover scenarios representative of the 1972 and 2001 Metro Manila urban areas. Results show that the Southwest Monsoon rainfall may be enhanced by up to 20% due to the urban expansion. This study illustrates the significance of incorporating land cover scenarios in projecting future climate changes especially at the scale of local impacts.