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Royal Observatory
THE Royal Observatory was established in 1883 to make meteor- ological and magnetic observations and to provide a time service for the Colony and for shipping. Today the Observatory is engaged in a much wider range of geophysical activities, although magnetic observations were discontinued in 1939.
Meteorological Services. The Royal Observatory is the sole source of meteorological information in the Colony and also forms part of a world-wide network of meteorological stations. The central forecast office provides weather forecasts and information for the public, Government departments, shipping, aviation and the armed forces. Routine surface observations of the meteoro- logical elements are made throughout the 24 hours at the Royal Observatory, the airport, Waglan Island and Cheung Chau. The last three stations are primarily concerned with the needs of avia- tion.-Upper air soundings of the atmosphere are made at the radiosonde station at King's Park. Balloons carrying special re- flectors are released every six hours and tracked by wind-finding radar. One balloon each day carries a radiosonde transmitter which transmits back the pressure, temperature and humidity at all levels through which the balloon ascends. Numerous rain-gauges are operated throughout the Colony by Government employees and private individuals on behalf of the observatory. Rainfall maps and the observations from the Royal Observatory and King's Park are published and the results from the other stations are recorded on punched cards to facilitate rapid analysis.
At the aviation forecast office in the terminal building at Kai Tak, the pilots of all aircraft leaving Hong Kong are briefed and issued with documents depicting meteorological conditions relevant to their flights. Information is also sent to other weather centres and to aircraft in flight either by direct radio communication or by special aviation broadcasts.
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