The most recent convention of the Philippine Meteorological Society (PMS 2024) recently declared Viscan Meteorology undergrad Brian Añano as the "Best Oral Presenter" held at the Camelot Hotel, Quezon City last March 18-20, 2024.
Centered on the theme: “Weather, Climate, and Society; Interdisciplinary Approaches to Challenges and Solution”, Añano represented his colleagues (namely Joshua Agomaa, Daryll Cabellon, Lendie Paderes, and Rio Beth Sinon) as well as the Visayas State University in presenting their co-authored case study about "Characterizing Shearline-induced Rainfall events in Eastern Samar, Philippines during the Winter Monsoon Season" at the said convention.
When asked what preparations were made prior that resulted in his accolade, Añano explained, "The week before the PMS Convention was the midterms week in VSU. So I practically had to juggle between studying for the exams and preparing for my presentation at the Convention. To make sure that I can still clearly remember everything about the case study, I also had to print the entire copy of our paper which I repeatedly read on the night before traveling to the airport, during the flight to Metro Manila, and the nights before the scheduled day of the presentation. This [allowed] me to gather my thoughts and point out the most important points of our paper, and the possible questions that may be raised by the audience, including the best answers to those questions." He further added that his experience as a radio broadcaster and science campus journalist in high school may have contributed to his edge in public communication.
“In all honesty, I never expected to be awarded "Best Oral Presenter" at the Convention. I was shocked, and it did not immediately sink in to me that I was really the awardee. Since the paper was simply a case study we conducted as a final course project in Mete132…But my instructors and [fellow classmates] convinced me that I have the skill and competence to present our case study at the Convention…They encouraged me to submit the abstract, which was eventually accepted by the PMS.”, he added.
The paper presented was originally a final course output for a laboratory component of the subject Synoptic Meteorology II (Mete132) during their second year under the Meteorology program at VSU. It was created to quantitatively determine caused by shear lines in Eastern Samar during the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) season in terms of the amount and duration as well as observing their changes through time.
Añano described ‘shear line’ as a "weather system consisting of a long band of clouds that delineates where the relatively cool and dry Amihan interacts with the warm moist wind flow of the easterlies over the tropical Pacific Ocean, which causes a sharp change in wind speed and increased moisture that are conducive to forming clouds and rainfall."
As their paper centered on shear line-induced rainfall events with Eastern Samar as their case study, the findings of their output were based upon the rainfall data from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) at the weather station located in Guiuan, Eastern Samar from October 2003 to March 2023.
Their case study concluded that six (6) rainfall events occurred every Amihan season on average which are shear line-induced. Although described to be generally light, the maximum rainfall observed can actually range from light to heavy and even intense. They can last for more than 24 hours, and will, on average, start from November but become more active from December to January. They also found that shear line-induced rainfall during Amihan had different amounts of rainfall yet did not show obvious patterns – the reason for which still needs further research according to Añano.
The future Viscan Meteorologist believed that the science behind shear lines has not yet reached the colloquial vocabularies of the general public and that there is still a lack of research about it as a whole. This led him to propose to his group the idea of focusing their work on shear lines, describing, “I am a witness to how our locality is affected by the shear line during the Amihan season, how we experience a long period of cloudy and rainy weather that can last for days and is often accompanied by gusty winds…People often ask me: "Mayda ba bagyo?" [Is there a typhoon coming?]. Since many are not aware of the shear line, they are confused thinking that the inclement weather we experience during shear line impacts [are] not caused by the usual weather systems many Filipinos associate with bad weather, like tropical cyclones and low-pressure areas.”
Despite not being an official thesis nor research paper, Añano and his colleagues believe that the findings of their study can still greatly contribute to the advancement of knowledge on shear lines and add a new body of information that will help with weather analysis & forecasting, and communication. Further, he believed that their findings could be a good source of data that may be utilized by government agencies such as Disaster Risk Reduction and Management during natural disasters associated with shear line-induced rainfall events.
Overall, the experience for Añano at the convention was highly positive. “It was a meaningful and highly educational experience. I learned a lot of new things in the field of meteorological research from the many presentations held at the PMS Convention. More importantly, I had the opportunity to meet and have fruitful discourse with professionals and experts in the field of meteorology, who shared their knowledge of various topics and even offered their service for potential collaboration in future meteorological research projects that I might perhaps be interested in or become involved with. I also had the chance to interact with fellow BS Meteorology students from other universities in the country, to hear their stories and experiences, and forge new connections.”
The Philippine Meteorological Society Convention 2024 (also known as PMS 2024)is an edition of the annual conference of Meteorologists, undergrads under the discipline, and other enthusiasts within the country. PMS 2024, organized by the Philippine Meteorological Society (PMS, Inc.) aimed to present the latest research on Meteorology, Atmospheric science, and other Allied sciences to advance knowledge and aid future research focused on said disciplines.