The Environment 301
the observatory to provide weather forecast to the local community with high spatial and temporal resolution through new services, including 'Wind Forecast for Water Sport Activities' and 'Digital Weather Forecast'. The observatory also provided the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China, the New Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games with meteorological support.
Its Airport Meteorological Office provides the Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong Flight Information Region with world-class weather services. In 2010, the observatory's Assistant Director, Mr C M Shun, was elected President of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology of the World Meteorological Organisation, which steers the development of aviation weather service worldwide for the next four years.
Weather information is disseminated to the public through the media, an automatic Dial-a-Weather telephone enquiry system and the observatory's website which registered about 1.8 billion page views in 2010 making it one of the most popular government websites. A new personalised weather service, 'MyObservatory', also disseminates weather information through mobile phones anytime anywhere. In addition, the observatory presents weekly videos on YouTube to promote meteorological knowledge and disseminates weather news through Twitter. Both initiatives were launched in 2010 and are gaining popularity.
Radiation Measurement and Assessment
The observatory monitors the ambient radiation level in Hong Kong as well as the amount of radioactivity in the environmental samples. In the unlikely event of a nuclear accident, it will step up radiation monitoring immediately, assess the radiological consequences with other concerned departments and provide advice to policy bureaux on the kind of action to take.
Climate Services and Climate Change
The observatory provides a wide range of climatological information services to meet the needs of the general public and different sectors of society. It issues an annual outlook bulletin on rainfall and tropical
rainfall and tropical cyclones, predicts seasonal temperature and rainfall, as well as studies the relationship between climate and health. The observatory conducts research on past trends and future projections of temperature, rainfall, sea level and extreme events, providing a scientific basis for climate change impact assessments.
Oceanographic Service
The observatory produces an annual tide table for Hong Kong and provides forecasts of wave and swell for fishermen and mariners as well as warnings of possible storm surges and tsunamis. It advises government departments and the engineering community on physical oceanographic matters. A Liaison Group for the Shipping Community was established in 2010 to enhance communication between the observatory and the shipping sector.
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