Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) hits another milestone – one of its senior lecturers was picked to head a research team to study lightning patterns in the Antarctic.
Dr Mohd Riduan Ahmad has been awarded the South Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) Asia’s Science Fellowship Scheme 2019 for the purpose and will work closely with KOPRI scientist Dr Park Sang-jong to study lighting patterns in the southern hemisphere. KOPRI is a statutory and government-funded research institution, is the lead agency for Korea’s national polar programme for both the Artic and the Antarctic. Dr Riduan will be cooperating with KOPRI Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Sang-Jong Park, to investigate “Characteristics of lightning flashes over Antarctic Peninsular”.
UTeM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr Raha Abd Rahim hopes the research achieves it desired success and has global impact. Dr Mohd Riduan will be stationed at the KOPRI headquarters in Incheon, South Korea, from July 6 for an estimated three weeks on the first phase of the research programme.
During the second phase, Dr Mohd Riduan would join a research expedition at King Sejong station in the Antarctic for two months, starting early 2020. This second stage at the Antarctic Peninsula is focused on measuring the background electrostatic field and locate the coordinates of lightning strikes. An electromagnetic measurement device would be used to study the lightning within a radius of 300km from the King Sejong station.
The research is vital to give an overview and greater understanding on global warming issues and for climate change studies.
The study on lightning patterns in the Antarctic is also important as rising sea levels and global weather patterns are all determined in the polar region.