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NewsAsia, 31 Mar 05 Mini-weather stations in schools to help students learn about climate change By Yvonne Cheong SINGAPORE : Schools may soon have their own mini-weather stations to allow students to learn more about climate change and other environmental issues. This has been made possible with a $1 million funding from power generator Senoko Power under a National Weather Study Project launched on Thursday. How does haze come about? And why was February 9 this year the hottest day in Singapore in 15 years? Students will soon be better equipped to learn more about the weather changes. Schools that are interested to take part in the weather project can approach Senoko Power which will be funding the purchase and installation of a mini-weather station, within the school, which includes equipment like a professional rain gauge. Lim Cheng Leong, Head of Science Department at Si Ling Primary School, said: "Previously, we only have this simple rain gauge that our pupils can use to measure rainfall but right now, with this new instrument, it is not just measuring rainfall but we can use it to measure humidity, the temperature change. So this is going to be a lot of outdoor fun." "I want to find out why is Singapore getting hotter day by day and why does haze appears, and I hope that mini-weather station will help us." "See why the temperature keep changing and changing, and tell my friends about it." The weatherman from the National Environment Agency will also giving his advice on which equipment to buy. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Education Minister, said: "It takes the kids out of the classroom...which I think is the only way you can learn about climate change. Gets them into hands-on activities, gets them into their own investigation in a simple way they start of the mini-weather stations...they look at environment around the school. "The older students relate this to what's happening globally. So it's really geography, science, mathematics in real action." To share the information learnt, annual competitions and school projects will be part of the nationwide initiative. Senoko Power also marked the completion of its $7 million reverse osmosis desalination plant and its stage one of its third and last electricity generation unit which cost $600 million. The desalination plant will cut the power generator's industrial water usage costs by 30 to 40 percent and has been operational since December last year. - CNA links Related articles on Global issues: global warming issues, policies |
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