City University of Hong Kong and the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau of Macao SAR signed a research agreement that will enhance atmospheric science for both regions, 31 August.
Under the collaborative project, funded by the Macao SAR, a remote-sensing air-pollution monitoring system will be developed for Macao, using CityU’s expertise in the area of air pollution control. The CityU project team, led by Dr Andrew Cheng, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Materials Science, will collaborate with Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau to build a laser system to measure pollutant concentrations in the Macao region.
The signing ceremony was officiated by CityU President
Professor H K Chang and the Director of the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau,
Dr Fong Soi Kun. In view of the historical and geographical relationship between Hong Kong and Macao, Professor Chang highlighted the goal of the collaboration --not only to enhance academic exchange on atmospheric science in the two regions, but also to contribute to the sustainable development in the Pearl River Delta region. While commending CityU’s excellent research foundation and internationally recognized research results, Dr Fong hoped that the collaboration would lead to new frontiers in atmospheric science.
CityU has strong research expertise in atmospheric science, especially with regard to typhoons, monsoons, atmospheric remote sensing and environmental modeling. The University is the only local tertiary institution equipped with a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system -- the first system in
Hong Kong to measure wind velocity, aerosol distribution, ozone concentration and air pollutants. The LIDAR system can identify areas of high pollution and the time of occurrence, thus providing a four-dimensional description of the pollution situation for further analysis. With this system, CityU has also helped the Environmental Protection Department of the HKSAR study the problem of cross-border pollution transport.
