XN000022-1983-04-05 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1983

THE RESEARCH REQUIRES DELICATE EQUIPMENT PACKAGES, WHICH INCLUDE A MONOSTATIC ACOUSTIC RADAR SYSTEM, A TETHERED-SONDE SYSTEM AND A SURFACE METEOROLOGICAL STATION.

+THE SITING OF THE INSTRUMENTS HAS A SIGNIFICANT BEARING ON THE RELIABILITY AND QUALITY OF DATA THUS GATHERED, MRS KOO SAID.

THE SITE MUST FIRST OF ALL BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OVERALL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION OF THE REGION TO BE STUDIED.

FURTHERMORE, IT MUST HAVE RELIABLE POWER SUPPLY AND BE FAR AWAY FROM SOURCES OF NOISE AND ECHOES REFLECTED BY NEARBY OBJECTS. SECURITY AND PROTECTION FROM SEVERE WEATHER ARE ALSO MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS.

THE SURFACE METEOROLOGICAL STATION FOR THE CURRENT JUNK BAY STUDY COMPRISES AN INSTRUMENT-CARRYING TEN-METRE MAST AND A DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM LOCATED IN A SMALL ROOM MEASURING ABOUT THREE SQUARE METRES. THE ROOM HOUSES A MICRO-COMPUTER AND SOME ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT FOR PROCESSING WIND, TEMPERATURE AND SOLAR RADIATION DATA.

MRS KOO EMPHASISED THAT IT IS THE FIRST +AUTOMATIC+ WEATHER STATION IN HONG KONG WITH ITS SOFTWARE DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED BY STAFF OF THE APMRU — +AUTOMATIC+ BECAUSE THE COMPUTER IS PROGRAMMED TO PRODUCE DATA WHICH IS ALREADY QUALITY-CHECKED, PROCESSED AND ANALYSED.

THE TETHERED-SONDE SYSTEM IS AN AIRSHIP-LIKE BALLOON WITH A METEOROLOGICAL SENSOR PACKAGE SUSPENDED BELOW IT. BY MEASURING WINDS, TEMPERATURES AND OTHER ATMOSPHERIC ELEMENTS, IT CAN BATHER INFORMATION ON THE UPPER AIR FLOW.

THE MONOSTATIC RADAR SYSTEM IS A DEVICE WHICH TRANSMITS BRIEF AUDIBLE SOUND PULSES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE ECHOES RETURNED ARE AMPLIFIED AND DISPLAYED ON A FACSIMILE CHART WHICH SHOWS THE HEIGHT OF THE ATMOSPHERE WITHIN WHICH POLLUTANTS CAN BE EFFECTIVELY DISPERSED AND DILUTED,

THE SMOOTH RUNNING OF THESE DATA COLLECTING PROCESSES IS ENSURED BY ANOTHER SYSTEM WHICH TRANSMITS THE COLLECTED INFORMATION SIMULTANEOUSLY TO THE APMRU OFFICE SO THAT ANY DEFECT IN THE OPERATION CAN BE DETECTED AT ONCE.

THE DATA IS THEN ANALYSED BY APMRU STAFF BEFORE ANY MEANINGFUL CONCLUSIONS CAN BE MADE.

WHEN THE RESEARCH IN JUNK BAY IS COMPLETED, THE EQUIPMENT PACKAGES WILL BE RELOCATED TO THE NEXT AREA TO BE STUDIED.

HONG KONG'S GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS ARE SUCH THAT THE WORST EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION CAN BE AVERTED THROUGH PLANNING AND CONTROL, SHE STRESSED.

HOWEVER, IT IS NECESSARY THAT STUDIES BE CARRIED OUT EARLY ENOUGH SO THAT INPUTS CAN BE PRESENTED BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE ON DEVELOPMENT, SHE ADDED.

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