Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Filipino: Pangasiwaan ng Palingkurang Atmosperiko, Heopisikal at Astronomiko ng Pilipinas ), short PAGASA, the national meteorological service of the Philippines and is responsible for the creation of public weather forecasts and flood and storm warnings, but even more far-reaching meteorological, astronomical and climatological services. The Authority was established on December 8, 1972 by Presidential Decree No. 78. This decree was renamed and re-organization of the predecessor Weather Service Weather Bureau to PAGASA. In the national language Filipino Pagasa also means hope.
PAGASA is a member of the WMO and monitors the weather and activities within its area of responsibility Taifunwarnungen published. This jurisdiction extends over an area which is bounded by an imaginary line along the following coordinates:
25 ° N 120 ° E, 25 ° N 135 ° E, 5 ° N 135 ° E, 5 ° N 115 ° E, 15 ° N 115 ° E, 21 ° N 120 ° E and back to the first point.
History
The beginnings of the Philippine meteorological service go back to the 19th century. In 1865, the Jesuit Francisco Colina, a professor of mathematics and physics began with the first regular weather records two to three times a day. When a year later by a strong typhoon made hourly records, the Jesuit teacher Jaime Nonell related this data in a shortly afterwards published scientific work. This release caught the attention of businessmen and sailors in Manila and they stood then at the Jesuit superiors Juan Vidal with Please zoom to provide regular weather such records and to make them public. The Jesuit Federico Faura was entrusted with the management of the resulting Observateriums. From 1869 began with record round the clock after this one Meteorograph had arrived from Europe. This invented by Angelo Secchi meteorological instrument allowed the regular registration of various weather data. In 1879 Faura published on July 7, a first typhoon. After the storm was as predicted drawn across Luzon, however, had left only minor damage due to the warning, the observatory consolidated in the following years, his reputation and his services were soon in demand beyond the borders of the Philippines also. As a result of the growing demand for the meteorological services, the weather station was assumed by royal decree on 28 April 1894 as the official state institution of the Spanish crown, but further directed by the Jesuits.
After an expansion of the activities carried out in 1901, the renaming of the hitherto known as Observatorio de Manila service in Weather Bureau. 1908 published the weather office, the first weather map of the Far East. The in the following years more and more accurate expectant weather forecasts were estimated by sailors in the entire East Asian region. As a result of the Second World War, the Oberservatorium was completely destroyed in February 1945 during the Battle of Manila. After the end of hostilities, the Weather Bureau was re-established on 24 July 1945 under the leadership of Edilberto Parulan. With initially sparse features and partially assigned to them by the American forces meteorological equipment, the weather service was on and expanded again in the following year. In 1963, the installation of the first weather radar was. In 1969, the headquarters was moved to its present address in Quezon City. From the following year, 1970, began also to analyze satellite imagery for the production of weather forecasts.
In 1972, the Congress passed a bill which provided for the reorganization and renaming of the Weather Bureau in PAGASA. The entry into force of the law but was abruptly stopped on September 21 in 1972 with the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos, as the Congress now closed and the country was governed henceforth by presidential decrees. Marcos, however, quickly realized the immense importance of meteorological services for the development of the country and ordered on 12 December 1972, Presidential Decree No. 78, the founding of PAGASA and placed the authority of the Ministry of Defence.
Today
Since 1984, the Authority is now under the Ministry of Science and Technology. As part of this reorganization of the Seismological Service of PAGASA was separated and instead assigned to PHIVOLCS, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which is managed by the same ministry.
The predominant task of PAGASA it is today, to create the detailed observation and analysis of tropical weather systems such as typhoons, monsoons and the Intertropical Convergence Zone, accurate weather forecasts to warn of natural hazards, thereby protecting lives and property. The Authority is currently headed by Prisco D. Nilo. PAGASA is in the six departments OWB (Office of Weather Branch), WFS ( Weather Forecasting Section), TDS ( Techniques Development Section), MTS ( Meteorological Telecommunication Section), AMSO ( Aviation Meteorological Services) and MSF ( Meteorological Satellite Facilities) divided.
While the naming of tropical cyclones in the northwestern Pacific takes place across countries by the RSMC Tokyo, PAGASA assigns parallel own name for weather systems as they occur in his area of responsibility. Thus it happens in the weather reporting that one and the same whirlwind carries two different names.