March 23rd World Meteorological Day
On the occasion of March 23rd World Meteorological Day, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sedef Çakır, lecturer in the Department Environmental Engineering of Cyprus International University (CIU), made some highly significant and enlightening remarks about the significance of the day.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çakır said, "March 23 World Meteorological Day is celebrated annually with a new theme determined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This year's theme has been determined as 'Closing the Early Warning Gap Together!' to emphasize the importance of early warning systems and the need for global cooperation to reduce disaster risks and make communities more resilient."
Drawing attention to the effects of climate change, Çakır said, "We frequently feel how badly climate change affects us and the damages it causes. In the geographical area we live in, this has become one of the most important global problems of recent times,. Every year, daily global averages reach a new record; the total amount of precipitation expected in a year falls within a day, and thus droughts and heat waves become more evident."
Çakır warned about weather-related disasters caused by extreme meteorological events, and said, "Heavy rains turn into floods more easily due to human abuse of the natural environment, and also the river beds we have filled with construction sites if not with garbage. This situation leads to loss of life and property."
Çakır also mentioned the importance of early warning systems, and said, "Early warning systems play a critical role in reducing the effects of such disasters. Obtaining early information about approaching dangers allows individuals and those responsible at various levels to take the necessary precautions. However, access to effective early warning systems is inadequate in many regions around the world."
Pointing out the role of technological developments in disaster management, Çakır said, "It is important to install Doppler radar systems, which have achieved great success in predicting storms, tornadoes and heavy rains by keeping up with today's technology, even though they are costly in our country, and also our meteorology department should run weather forecast models by integrating our regional conditions in order to improve the predictability of extreme weather events."