Effects of air pollution on Metro Manila's precipitation cycle

Authors

  • Gerry Bagtasa Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, University of the Philippines Diliman

Abstract

Atmospheric aerosols serve as cloud condensation nuclei that affect the formation of cloud droplets, thus they influence cloud formation which in turn affect precipitation. In this study, the diurnal precipitation cycle of Metro Manila in a 4 km grid-spacing cloud-resolving configuration was simulated with and without aerosol feedback effects using a regional chemical transport model WRF-Chem. The diurnal precipitation cycle for the month of July (of 2009 to 2012), which is one of the wettest months of Metro Manila, showed late morning rain suppression and prolonged evening precipitation. Precipitation suppression was mainly due to fine particulate urban anthropogenic emission from the morning emissions. As the ground solar heating intensifies into the afternoon, coarse seasalt aerosols are carried by sea breeze inland and is ingested by existing clouds, which results in the stimulation of the conversion process of cloud droplets to raindrops.

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Issue

Article ID

SPP2012-4B-5

Section

Complex Systems

Published

2012-10-22

How to Cite

[1]
G Bagtasa, Effects of air pollution on Metro Manila’s precipitation cycle, Proceedings of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas 30, SPP2012-4B-5 (2012). URL: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP2012-4B-5.