ENG-2012 — Page 313

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The Environment

With its counterparts in Guangdong and Macao, the observatory developed a 'Greater Pearl River Delta Weather' website to better serve users on the move in the region. To foster international and regional collaboration on meteorological services, the observatory signed a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation with the Korean Meteorological Administration in May, and a long-term co-operation agreement with the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau in numerical weather prediction technology in September.

The observatory provides the Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong Flight Information Region with aviation weather services. The observatory provided special site and flight route forecasts and weather observations to the People's Liberation Army's 8.1 Parachute Brigade for their show at the Hong Kong Stadium and Victoria Park to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the HKSAR's establishment.

In 2012, the observatory continued to collaborate with the Government Flying Service and used a fixed wing aircraft to collect meteorological data on tropical cyclones over the South China Sea. The aircraft observational data were useful in monitoring the position and intensity of tropical cyclones.

Radiation Measurement and Assessment

The observatory monitors the ambient radiation level in Hong Kong and measures the amount of radioactivity in environmental samples. Two new radiation monitoring stations, at Chek Lap Kok and Cape D'Aguilar, began operations in 2012, bringing the number of radiation monitoring stations to 12. The observatory also participated in a major inter-departmental exercise for the Daya Bay Contingency Plan in April. In the unlikely event of a nuclear accident, the observatory will step up radiation monitoring immediately, assess the radiological consequences with other concerned departments and provide advice to policy bureaux on the actions to take. The public will also be provided with relevant information on radiation and is kept abreast of the developments through various channels.

Climate Services

The observatory provides a wide range of climatological information and climate prediction. services to meet the needs of the general public and different sectors of society. It provides updates of climatic phenomena such as the El Nino, issues an annual outlook on rainfall and tropical cyclones, and predicts seasonal temperature and rainfall. It conducts research on past trends and future projections of temperature, rainfall, sea level and extreme conditions. In 2012, the observatory launched a new webpage on climatology for festivals and special days.

Oceanographic Services

The observatory produces an annual Hong Kong tide table, provides forecasts of wind, weather, wave and swells for fishermen and mariners, and issues warnings or information bulletins about storm surges and tsunamis. It advises Government departments and the engineering community on physical oceanographic matters.

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