Hong Kong Observatory hosts Typhoon Committee roving seminar

The Hong Kong Observatory has successfully hosted a three-day international seminar on the use and interpretation of satellite and radar data in tropical cyclone forecasting. This seminar, which ended today (October 24) was the second stop of the Typhoon Committee's roving seminars.

This was the first time that Hong Kong has hosted an international seminar on the operational forecasting of tropical cyclones. The objective of the roving seminar was to explore how the latest scientific research findings could be used to enhance the capability of meteorological services in predicting tropical cyclones.

Dr PW Li, Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory, was one of the lecturers for the seminar. Other lecturers were Dr Mark A Lander of the University of Guam and Dr BJ Sohn of the Seoul National University. Participants were from the meteorological services of Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Beijing, Macau, Korea and Malaysia.

The roving seminar is being held in three different cities. The first, which immediately preceded Hong Kong, was Seoul. The third, which immediately follows Hong Kong, is Shanghai. Dr PW Li of the Hong Kong Observatory has been invited to speak at the Shanghai seminar also.

Mr Renato M Molina, the participant from the Philippines, commented that the Hong Kong seminar was very well-organised and enjoyable. "It offered me a precious chance to discuss with the experts on satellite and radar applications the analysis and forecasting of tropical cyclones. The knowledge that I gained from the seminar will be very useful for my daily forecasting work in the Philippines. The advanced technology and facilities in the Hong Kong Observatory impressed me a lot too."

The Hong Kong Observatory is one of the most advanced centres in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea region in tropical cyclone monitoring, forecasting and warning. In view of its special expertise in radar applications, the Typhoon Committee has invited the observatory's expert to speak at the second and third stops of the roving seminar.

Fig.1 The participants of the Typhoon Committee Roving Seminar at the Opening Ceremony.

Fig.2 The participants of the Typhoon Committee Roving Seminar conducting hands-on exercise at the Open Laboratory of the Hong Kong Observatory.