https://www.scmp.com/rss/516206/feed Shun Chi-ming is a former director of the Hong Kong Observatory and former president of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology of the World Meteorological Organisation. He is currently an adjunct professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Division of Environment and Sustainability. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com During the National Day celebrations this year, drone shows over Victoria Harbour were cancelled because of a space weather phenomenon known as ionospheric scintillation. However, the drone shows in Shenzhen around the same time went ahead after some slight delays. People therefore were puzzled, not just by the rather technical term but also about why there was such a big difference given how close Shenzhen is to Hong Kong. Space weather phenomena triggered by strong solar activity usually... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3283338/hong-kongs-low-altitude-economy-plans-need-good-space-weather-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3283338/hong-kongs-low-altitude-economy-plans-need-good-space-weather-data?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2024 01:30:08 +0000 Torrential rain associated with the remnants of Typhoon Haikui hit Hong Kong hard on the night of September 7. The rainfall at the Observatory headquarters between 11pm and midnight measured 158.1mm (6 inches), breaking the previous one-hour rainfall record of 145.5mm set on June 7, 2008. More than 600mm of rain was recorded over 24 hours, roughly a quarter of annual rainfall. To put it in historical context, while this storm unleashed the heaviest one-hour rainfall since 1884, there were more... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3235873/how-hong-kong-can-prepare-next-freak-rainstorm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3235873/how-hong-kong-can-prepare-next-freak-rainstorm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Sep 2023 01:30:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s new heat stress warning system for workers was launched with good intentions but the results have so far been controversial. Apart from system hiccups, flip-flops in warnings issued in quick succession have also led to confusion. The three-tier Heat Stress at Work Warning system, introduced by the Labour Department on May 15, uses amber, red and black to indicate the severity of working conditions and is based on the Hong Kong Observatory’s heat index. Yet the work warnings have not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228255/how-improve-heat-stress-warnings-workers-and-avoid-confusion-flip-flops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228255/how-improve-heat-stress-warnings-workers-and-avoid-confusion-flip-flops?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2023 10:30:17 +0000