XN000022-1984-02-21 — Page 3

N

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1984

THE IDEA WAS DEVELOPED FURTHER WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF THE STATE METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION IN PEKING VISITED THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY IN NOVEMBER 1982.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL BUREAU THEN HELD PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS AND MADE A JOINT SITE VISIT TO THE ISLAND AT THE END OF 1983.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE VISIT TO GUANGZHOU LAST WEEK WAS TO HOLD THE LAST ROUND OF TALKS AND SIGN THE AGREEMENT.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE STATION WILL BECOME OPERATIONAL BY MID-1985.

BY THEN THE STATION WILL TRANSMIT PROCESSED METEOROLOGICAL DATA SUCH AS WIND, TEMPERATURE AND AIR PRESSURE, EVERY 30 MINUTES BY UHF RADIO TO A CENTRAL COMPUTER AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY HEADQUARTERS WHERE THE DATA WILL BE STORED AND ALSO DISPLAYED IN REAL-TIME.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE DATA WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY INJECTED INTO THE HONG KONG-GUANGZHOU-PEKING METEOROLOGICAL COMMUNICATION CIRCUIT FOR ONWARD TRANSMISSION TO THE STATE METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION IN PEKING AND THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL

BUREAU.

THE DATA WILL BE USED BY BOTH SIDES FOR FORECASTING THE WEATHER OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND FOR MONITORING TROPICAL CYCLONES AND OTHER SEVERE WEATHER SYSTEMS APPROACHING SOUTH CHINA FROM THE SOUTH.

DURING THE TWO-DAY VISIT, BOTH PARTIES ALSO DISCUSSED TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION IN MARINE METEOROLOGY.

ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR TECHNICAL STAFF FROM THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL BUREAU TO COME TO HONG KONG TO LEARN THE METHODS THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY EMPLOYS TO PROCESS MARINE METEOROLOGICAL DATA BY COMPUTER.

ON THE SAME DAY THAT THE DELEGATION ARRIVED IN GUANGZHOU, TWO TECHNICAL STAFF OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ALSO WENT TO GUANGZHOU WITH UPPER-AIR SOUNDING EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM AN INTER-COMPARISON ON RADIOSONDES.

THE INTER-COMPARISON WILL LAST TWO WEEKS AND IS BEING CARRIED OUT JOINTLY WITH THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL BUREAU IN ACCORDANCE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS LAID DOWN BY THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION.

THE PURPOSE IS TO FIND OUT THE INSTRUMENTAL AND OBSERVATIONAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES OF RADIOSONDES USED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL BUREAU.