Stronger winds may bring breezier days to Singapore, but also danger from falling trees
Projections from Singapore's third National Climate Change Study show that wind speed is likely to increase by up to 20 per cent by the end of the century.
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SINGAPORE: Checks on the health of trees are being stepped up across Singapore by the National Parks Board (NParks) in anticipation of stronger gusts of wind sweeping across the island.
Climate projections from Singapore's third National Climate Change Study showed that wind speed is likely to increase, causing potential damage to Singapore's infrastructure and injury to residents.
The regional study released on Jan 5 sets out expected changes in key climate variables such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind and sea level across three scenarios with varying levels of carbon emissions.
RISK OF FALLING TREES
The latest projections predict that wind speed in Singapore is likely to increase by up to 20 per cent by the end of the century.
Even though this may bring breezier days, stronger winds could prove hazardous in a green city like Singapore, said Dr Vinod Thomas, associate senior fellow from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
This is because one key solution to the climate crisis is creating more green spaces within cities, with trees helping to provide shade and absorb carbon dioxide.
However, stronger winds will affect the growth of trees and increase the risk of breakage or even toppling over.
“It is the very solution that is being undercut by the climate impact, in this case of greater wind speed,” he told CNA.
The possibility of falling trees is a factor to be considered when designing the layout of parks, he added.
Dr Thomas said taking such precautions could mean putting more boots on the ground to keep an eye on the trees and catch the warning signs of decay or breakage early.
NParks said it has made its tree monitoring programme more robust to prepare for the challenges posed by climate change.
“This initiative involves a robust regimen of inspections, pruning, and the application of technology to proactively address potential vulnerabilities in our trees and enhance the overall resilience of our urban green spaces,” the agency said.
Since 2003, NParks has also been replacing self-sown and storm-vulnerable species and those prone to diseases, with native species better adapted to local weather conditions.
Hardy and drought-tolerant trees are generally chosen due to their ability to withstand the harsh growing conditions of the urban environment.
“In hot and exposed locations, trees with wide and dense canopies are planted to provide shade and help cool the environment,” the agency added.
IMPORTANCE OF TREES
Assistant Professor Lim Jun Ying from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) biological sciences department is the lead principal investigator of a project studying the multi-scale impacts of climate change on tropical forest dynamics in Singapore.
He told CNA938 on Monday (Jan 8) that the project was conceptualised as there has been a lack of such research specifically focusing on Southeast Asia.
Globally, higher temperatures and frequency of drought events have led to an uptick in the death of big trees, which are important to the ecosystem as they store most of the carbon emissions, said Asst Prof Lim.
“One of the main reasons we put together this research proposal is to try to understand whether or not this global process is also happening within Singapore,” he said.
“If the big trees die, they open up new spaces within the tropical forests. So in the short term, you might lose a lot of carbon and potentially diversity.”
He added that in tropical forests, like those in Singapore, various tree species are competing with each other for resources such as light and water.
“So whenever the climate changes in any way, there will always be winners and losers. There will be some tree species that might perform less well in the new environment, and some trees that will perform a little bit better,” he said.
From some preliminary analyses, there appears to be “demographic level changes in certain trees, at least in Bukit Timah (Nature Reserve)”, said Asst Prof Lim.
“We are trying to understand whether or not that's part of a broader trend (and) whether that is driven by extreme weather or long-term climatic changes. There's still a lot to unpack in the next few years.”
THE URBAN JUNGLE
While trees need minding, tall man-made structures, such as high-rise buildings, must also be built to withstand strong winds.
Dr Thomas said that since skyscrapers and high-rise public housing are part of the city, their resilience to wind need to be addressed in terms of structure and materials used in construction.
“Engineers need to work hand in glove with climatologists to see how various degrees of intensity of winds can be withstood,” he said.
The rising intensity of wind is also being felt on the ground in Singapore’s urban landscape.
Mr Max Ong, assistant general manager of Aloha Sea Sports in East Coast Park, said the stronger winds, though better for wind-powered sports like windsurfing, are more erratic.
“Ten years ago, we were actually getting more constant and better wind in our coastal area,” he told CNA.
“This year is considered very bad compared to last year. If let's say one week there were four days of wind (last year), this year (there are) maybe one or two days of wind (per week)."
He added that while stronger gusts would mean wind-powered equipment can go faster, the centre will continue to adjust operations to keep customers safe amid changing conditions.
