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03. Science and Technology (Natural Sciences) Committee

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/3

In creating a culture of peace and addressing sustainable development challenges, UNESCO aims to cultivate the generation and application of scientific knowledge among its Member States. At UNACOM, we facilitate access to UNESCO’s international programmes in the sciences, such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, and International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP), among others.

Through this sector, the Commission aims to contribute to the following SDGs: 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 13 - Climate Action, 14 - Life Below Water, and 15 - Life On Land. With the overarching vision of the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan (PDP), UNACOM targets grassroots-inspired cultural heritage and biodiversity protection and conservation, as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships for SDGs promotion.

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  • Precipitation stable isotopic signatures of tropical cyclones in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines, show significant negative isotopic excursions
    Jackisch, Dominik; Yeo, Bi Xuan; Switzer, Adam D.; He, Shaoneng; Cantarero, Danica Linda M.; Siringan, Fernando P.; Goodkin, Nathalie F. (Copernicus GmbH, 2022-01-28)
    Tropical cyclones have devastating impacts on the environment, economies, and societies and may intensify in the coming decades due to climate change. Stable water isotopes serve as tracers of the hydrological cycle, as isotope fractionation processes leave distinct precipitation isotopic signatures. Here we present a record of daily precipitation isotope measurements from March 2014 to October 2015 for Metropolitan Manila, a first-of-a-kind dataset for the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We show that precipitation isotopic variation at our study site is closely related to tropical cyclones. The most negative shift in δ18O values (−13.84 ‰) leading to a clear isotopic signal was caused by Typhoon Rammasun, which directly hit Metropolitan Manila. The average δ18O value of precipitation associated with tropical cyclones is −10.24 ‰, whereas the mean isotopic value for rainfall associated with non-cyclone events is −5.29 ‰. Further, the closer the storm track is to the sampling site, the more negative the isotopic values are, indicating that in situ isotope measurements can provide a direct linkage between isotopes and typhoon activities in the Philippines.
    This research was supported by the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) via its funding from the National Research Foundation Singapore and the Ministry of Education of Singapore under the Research Centres of Excellence initiative. This work comprises EOS contribution no. 422. This study is also the part of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP code: F31004) on “Stable Isotopes in Precipitation and Paleoclimatic Archives in Tropical Areas to Improve Regional Hydrological and Climatic Impact Models” (IAEA Research Agreement no. 17980).
  • Perceived global increase in algal blooms is attributable to intensified monitoring and emerging bloom impacts
    Hallegraeff, Gustaaf M.; Anderson, Donald M.; Belin, Catherine; Bottein, Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui; Bresnan, Eileen; Chinain, Mireille; Enevoldsen, Henrik; Iwataki, Mitsunori; Karlson, Bengt; McKenzie, Cynthia H.; Sunesen, Inés; Pitcher, Grant C.; Provoost, Pieter; Richardson, Anthony; Schweibold, Laura; Tester, Patricia A.; Trainer, Vera L.; Yñiguez, Aletta T.; Zingone, Adriana (Springer, 2021-06-08)
    Global trends in the occurrence, toxicity and risk posed by harmful algal blooms to natural systems, human health and coastal economies are poorly constrained, but are widely thought to be increasing due to climate change and nutrient pollution. Here, we conduct a statistical analysis on a global dataset extracted from the Harmful Algae Event Database and Ocean Biodiversity Information System for the period 1985–2018 to investigate temporal trends in the frequency and distribution of marine harmful algal blooms. We find no uniform global trend in the number of harmful algal events and their distribution over time, once data were adjusted for regional variations in monitoring effort. Varying and contrasting regional trends were driven by differences in bloom species, type and emergent impacts. Our findings suggest that intensified monitoring efforts associated with increased aquaculture production are responsible for the perceived increase in harmful algae events and that there is no empirical support for broad statements regarding increasing global trends. Instead, trends need to be considered regionally and at the species level.