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The Environment
Meteorological and Geophysical Services
Hong Kong Observatory
Established in 1883, the Hong Kong Observatory provides meteorological, climatological, radiation monitoring, oceanographic, geophysical, time and astronomical services.
Weather Forecast and Information Services
Weather information is delivered to the public through the media, the observatory website, the mobile application 'MyObservatory, social media platforms, and the Dial-a-Weather telephone service. The observatory also produces free TV weather programmes regularly and an educational programme, 'Cool Met Stuff, for Hong Kong's major TV networks and various media. Users of personal computers can obtain the latest weather information using the 'Weather Wizard' software and can customise the information they receive via the observatory's personalised website. In 2014, the observatory's online information service (including its mobile application) registered more than 72 billion page views, a record high.
In 2014, the observatory extended the weather forecast range from seven days to nine days and enhanced the 'Automatic Regional Weather Forecast in Hong Kong' webpage, providing nine-day forecasts of hourly air temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and wind speed at various locations in Hong Kong and the probability of precipitation over the territory. The observatory also launched a new 'Hot Weather Special Advisory' service and provided a trial Hong Kong Heat Index on the observatory website for monitoring hot weather conditions.
The observatory issues weather forecasts and warnings to the shipping, aviation, industrial and engineering sectors. To enhance aviation weather services and safety for Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong Flight Information Region, a new Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) was installed at Brothers Point in Tuen Mun in 2014 to detect windshear. The existing TDWR at Tai Lam Chung will turn into a backup to ensure uninterrupted service. The observatory advises government departments and the engineering community on physical oceanographic matters, provides forecasts of wind, weather, wave and swells for fishermen and mariners, issues warnings or information bulletins on storm surges caused by tropical cyclones, and publishes annually the Hong Kong Tide Table.
Climate Services and Climate Change Related Studies
The observatory provides a wide range of climatological information and climate prediction services, including updates of phenomena such as El Niño, annual outlook on rainfall and tropical cyclones, and predictions of seasonal temperature and rainfall. It conducts research on past trends and future projections of temperature, rainfall, sea level and extreme conditions in Hong Kong, based on the latest assessment of global warming by the United Nations Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change. The observatory also engages with partners and stakeholders in the development of climate services. For example, it collaborates with a utility company to project electricity consumption in the next seven days to promote energy saving, based on the observatory's weather forecast.
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