Newsletter: Ateneo, Manila Observatory track down elusive rain-triggering ‘shear lines’

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

Much of the heavy rains that hit the Philippines during the Amihan northeast monsoon season between November and March are triggered by “shear lines”: kilometers-long bands of converging warm and cold air that are constantly shifting and difficult to spot even via satellite.

Newsletter: Between Earth and Sky: Sea salt plays key role in Metro Manila air pollution

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by Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

Researchers from the Manila Observatory at the Ateneo de Manila University have co-authored new research that highlights the complexities of air quality in coastal cities, particularly Metro Manila. PHOTO: Veida Isabelle Bongco

Taking advantage of the worldwide shutdown of  human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study co-authored by Ateneo de Manila University – Manila Observatory and University of Arizona researchers revealed surprising insights into how the naturally-occurring components of sea salt—sodium and chloride—combine with Metro Manila air and contribute to the city’s pollution.

Newsletter: Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

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The Philippines, like other tropical countries, is known more for its balmy climate than for hailstorms. But a new Philippine study—the first of its kind—has found that the country’s hottest days are, in fact, more likely to produce hail.

The largest hailstones ever recorded in the Philippines fell in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, on May 8, 2020. An infrared image from the HIMAWARI-8 weather satellite taken at the time shows the convective system associated with this hail event. The inset panel on the upper right shows the corresponding radar reflectivity scan suggesting high amounts of precipitation in the area. In the lower right are photos of hailstones recovered from the event. SOURCE: Ibañez et al., 2025

Hailstorms are so few and far between in the Philippines that, even in an age of pervasive social media updates, they are still met with amazement and astonishment.

Newsletter: Ateneo scientists improve prediction of sunny days

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These pyranometers installed at the Manila Observatory on the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City, Metro Manila, are used to measure actual solar radiation for comparison with forecast projections. Using a mathematical algorithm, Ateneo researchers were able in some cases to minimize the discrepancy between forecasts and actual observations down to just 6%. CREDIT: Lyndon Mark P. Olaguera 

Directly benefiting the Philippines’ solar power, agriculture, and other industries, an international team of researchers led by the Ateneo de Manila University and the Manila Observatory has pioneered a way to improve sunny weather forecasts by as much as 94%.

Newsletter: UP Atmospheric Physicist Takes to the Skies with NASA: Monitoring Air Quality on NASA817

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By: Maria Alexandra Marmol

 (Photo credit: Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, 2024)

Dr. Gerry Bagtasa of the UP Diliman College of Science – Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UPD – CS IESM) took flight with NASA last Sunday, February 11, 2024, as part of an air pollution measurement campaign called ASIA-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality).