ENG-1991 — Page 407

THE ENVIRONMENT

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radiation monitoring and assessment. It also operates the official time service for Hong Kong and maintains a comprehensive seismological monitoring network.

Of all the services, the most important are weather forecasting and the issuing of warnings on hazardous weather. These are provided by the Central Forecasting Office to the general public, ships at sea, and fishermen and yachtsmen in coastal waters. Whenever Hong Kong is threatened by tropical cyclones, frequent warnings with advice on necessary precautions are widely disseminated. Other warnings operated by the observatory are those on thunderstorms, flooding, landslips, storm surges, fire danger, strong monsoons and frost. Specialised weather services are provided to engineering contractors, public utility companies, public transport operators, operators of oil rigs and other commercial enterprises.

Particular importance is attached to the effective dissemination of up-to-date weather information to the public, the media and other users. Weather programmes are presented by forecasters of the Royal Observatory on television from Monday to Friday, to provide a discussion of current weather events by professional meteorologists. Two special bulletins with weather charts as illustrations are prepared for the press each day. When warranted, live interviews and briefings are given by forecasters over radio and television. For members of the public requiring instant access to weather forecasts or tropical cyclone information, the observatory operates a dial-a-weather service. The demand for this service has continued to grow and in March 1991, the system that handles incoming calls was replaced by one with a greater capacity. There are now 17 lines for the public weather forecasts and four lines for the forecasts for the South China coastal waters. More than three million calls were handled in 1991. On average, over 12 000 calls were handled a day with the number of calls exceeding 1 300 calls per hour at times. Tailor-made weather information for special users is supplied through teletype, telex or telefax. The observatory also provides information to the INFOTEX and INFOFAX, which make available to telex and telefax terminal holders a large variety of routine weather information, including pictorial information such as the daily weather map. It is possible for IDD subscribers to obtain recorded weather information by dialling pre-specified numbers. Weather information is also made available for access by terminals connected to a commercial communication network.

Weather Forecasting, Monitoring and Prediction

To provide the wide range of meteorological services described in the previous section, the Royal Observatory monitors local weather round the clock. Weather observers at the observatory headquarters, Hong Kong International Airport and Cheung Chau keep a continuous watch on local conditions. Additional observations are made by the Royal Navy at Tai O and by the Royal Air Force at Sek Kong.

A network of automatic weather stations designed and built by the observatory telemeters weather data to the Central Forecasting Office at the observatory headquarters from Ta Kwu Ling, Lau Fau Shan, Tsing Yi, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Wong Chuk Hang, Tai Po Kau, Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O, Sha Lo Wan and Waglan Island. These stations help to provide information on weather that may be localised to the densely-populated new towns. In collaboration with the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau, the observatory operates an automatic weather station at Huangmao Zhou, an island 40 kilometres south of Lantau Island. Weather information at Huangmao Zhou is vital, in particular when