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WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION |
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME |
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Introduction
Malaysia is fairly active in ozone monitoring and research although this activity started rather recently in the early 1990s. While the long-term monitoring is carried out by the Malaysian Meteorological Service (MMS), several of the local universities have on-going monitoring and research programmes.
A representative from Malaysia attended the Second Meeting of the Ozone Research Managers at Geneva in March 1993. Although very new in the field at that time, we benefited very much from the contacts made and through subsequent consultations with members involved in this activity we were fortunate to obtain very helpful advice and assistance. We are particularly grateful to the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWAR) of New Zealand which had kindly provided Malaysia with a modified version of their programme to compute total ozone columns from ozonesonde data.
Malaysia also attended the WMO Consultation on Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer Operation, Calibration and Data Reporting and the WMO/NOAA Workshop on Ozone Data Re-evaluation held at Puerto del la Cruz Tenerife in June 1994. Our increasing involvement in this area and, of late, more frequent interactions with fellow scientists, has led to many changes for the betterment of the national ozone monitoring programme.
On-going Monitoring Activities
In Malaysia, regular monitoring of total ozone and UV-B is conducted by the MMS using the Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer and vertical ozone distribution is measured using sondes. The MMS activities are located at the Malaysian Meteorological Service Headquarters in Petaling Jaya (03° 06' N, 101° 39' E) and are wholly funded by the Malaysian Government. The Department of Environment (DoE) has several sites in the Klang Valley which measures surface level ozone.
From early 1994 it was noted that total ozone readings recorded by the Malaysian Brewer were drifting from the Singapore Dobson values and the SL ratios were no longer constant. Further tests indicated that the filter had deteriorated due to humidity. Action was initiated to engaged the instrument manufacturers to recalibrate and service Brewer #090 and re-process the data set. This work was carried out in February 1995 using the Canadian travelling standard #017 as reference. In addition MMS acquired the latest version of Brewer control software and Breview software.
After consultation with the World Ozone Data Centre, a set of total ozone data had been sent to them in the required format. With the recent installation of electronic mailing facilities at MMS, Malaysia will consider transmission of data to Canada via e-mail in the future.
Among the universities involved in ozone monitoring, the University of Science Malaysia (USM) has recently completed a one-year intensive phase of ozone profile measurements while the University of Agriculture Malaysia (UPM) conducts ad-hoc measurements of tropospheric ozone at selected urban and semi-urban sites in the Klang Valley and other parts of the country.
A National Steering Committee on the Protection of the Ozone Layer has been established whose main function is to coordinate the Country Programme and Action Plan to phase out ozone depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol. MMS has been given the responsibility of operating the national ozone monitoring programme as well as support the local universities and research institutes on academic research on ozone depletion and implementation of an ozone awareness programme. Results from the MMS ozone monitoring programme are reported regularly to the National Steering Committee which also submits annual reports on status of the national ozone monitoring programme to the Ozone Secretariat in Nairobi.
An expert from the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia visited Malaysia in April 1995 on a WMO mission to conduct an assessment of the ozone monitoring programmes in several countries in the region. This visit provided the opportunity for useful exchangeof ideas on various ozone matters and the establishment of closer ties between the two countries.
Research
MMS compiles and processes all data from its monitoring activities in order to document present ozone values and its variation in the tropics. So far ozone levels are within the expected range and no distinct seasonal cycle is apparent. These results are presently published in the annual MMS publication "Report on Air Quality in Malaysia As Monitored By The MalaysianMeteorological Service". Within MMS research efforts have so far focussed on attempts to relate variations in ozone concentrations with seasonal monsoon patterns.
A joint research study has been initiated with an expert from the Danish Meteorological Institute, Denmark to process and assess existing W data from Malaysia measured by the Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer. Although progress has been slow, Malaysia hopes that this study could stimulate interest towards further research on impacts of UV-B on ecosystems and human health in the tropics.
Within the perspective of their research programme in atmospheric science, USM has initated a new phase of measurements involving two projects, one on atmospheric ozone and the other on UV radiation. Two post-graduate students are currently pursuing these projects. The ozone project involved a year-long intensive weekly/bi-weekly soundings using standard sondes. The experimental phase was completed in mid 1995 and the researchers are now in the process of analyzing the data to understand some specific features. The second project involving standard broad-band UV-A and UV-B photometers, was initiated in 1995 and would be continued till at least 1996. Initial data analysis is in progress and the outcome of both studies should be available once the students' thesises are ready. USM hopes to further expand these programmes once the scientific outcome of the present activities are clear.
UPM have been involved in investigating the effect of ozone on certain plant species.
Future Plans
At this point of time, there are no plans by the MMS to increase the frequency of ozone profile measurements from twice monthly. However, under the National Development 5-year Plan ( 1996 2000) MMS proposes to establish tropospheric ozone monitoring facilities either at the existing GAW station site in Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands (04° 28'N, 101° 23'E) or at a remote highland station in East Malaysia. The resulting data set would complement the present measurement programme as well as facilitate studies on the role of ozone as a greenhouse gas in the climate change issue.
Staff shortage and a lack of training opportunities are common problems faced by most agencies. Malaysia regards staff training as an important component to ensure that the monitoring efforts initiated so far can be sustained and that new projects can be implemented on schedule.
With a data record of almost four years, MMS hopes to generate interest among relevant research agencies and institutions of higher learning in the country, in order to set up a core group of interested scientists to conduct research on ozone and UV-B changes in the tropics and their impacts.
Under an international cooperative research proposal, Malaysia is a participating member in a study initiated by the University of Tokyo to establish a Surface Ozone Measurement Network m East Eurasia/Oceania. This network would include existing stations as well as new ones to be established in the data-sparse areas of East Eurasia and tropical Asia. The proposed network of stations would extend across Siberia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia to Australia. The study, involving scientists from the countries concerned, aims to document surface ozone variations and trends in Asia/ Oceania and assess of the impact of tropospheric ozone change on the global environment.
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