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The Environment
provides the latest climate change information and scientific input to government bodies in support of policymaking and initiatives to combat climate change.
Radiation Monitoring and Assessment
The Observatory monitors ambient radiation levels and measures the amount of radioactivity in environmental samples, enhancing its monitoring and assessment capabilities through collaboration with Mainland and international counterparts. In the unlikely event of a nuclear incident, the Observatory will step up its radiation monitoring activities, work with other government departments to provide decision makers with an assessment of radiological consequences and advise on actions to take. Information on radiation levels and the latest developments will be provided to the public through various channels. In 2019, the radiation monitoring webpages were revamped to facilitate public access. The Observatory's radiation laboratory and ambient gamma radiation measurement services both successfully passed the annual surveillance audit under ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Geophysical Services
The Observatory monitors earthquakes and tsunamis in the vicinity of Hong Kong and round the world. It provides earthquake information and tsunami warnings through its website, the media and social media, as well as via SMS and email for registered users, and publishes the Tide Tables for Hong Kong annually. On 5 December, a local earthquake of magnitude 1.4 occurred near Cheung Chau. The Observatory received over 10 reports from members of the public.
Astronomical Services
The Observatory provides information about astronomical phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses. It publishes astronomical almanacs, which contain the traditional Chinese calendar as well as astronomical and geophysical information. Joint webcasts of the partial lunar eclipse in July and the partial solar eclipse in December were organised with the Hong Kong Space Museum, Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre, Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College and Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Solar Tower Camp, attracting over 40,000 page views in total.
Official Time Standard
As Hong Kong's official timekeeper, the Observatory maintains a time standard that is accurate to within one-hundred-millionth of a second per day and contributes to the determination of Coordinated Universal Time by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Users can check the time through an online network time service, web clocks, Dial-a-Weather and radio stations. In 2019, the Observatory upgraded its network time service system to provide a more stable and accessible service.
Cooperation with other Meteorological Services
In 2019, the Observatory launched the weather website for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in collaboration with meteorological services in Guangdong and Macao to provide weather forecasts and warnings for more than 60 regions in the 11 cities within the Greater Bay Area. The Observatory, as a Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre for
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