Weather stations start operating on Nansha reefs in South China Sea

Meteorological stations on Yongshu Reef, Zhubi Reef and Meiji Reef of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea began operating on Wednesday to provide fishermen and nearby ships with accurate weather forecasts.

The meteorological facilities including meteorological stations, aerological stations and weather radar, will offer round-the-clock weather forecasts, China Meteorological Administration announced on Wednesday.

The administration said the facilities will help monitor real-time weather and provide weather forecasts and early warning to marine traffic, rescue teams and fishermen, as the South China Sea frequently experiences typhoons, rainstorms and thick fog.

China has built three independent airports on the three reefs, which are designed to improve regional air transportation services and were put into use in 2016, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

China also built lighthouses on Huayang Reef, Zhubi Reef, Yongshu Reef and Chigua Reef, China News Service reported on Wednesday.

On the same day, Liu Youbin, spokesperson of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), told media that an environment monitoring station in the Nansha Islands has been built, which would provide information on ambient air quality for countries and regions in the South China Sea.

The environment monitoring station in the Nansha Islands could monitor 15 indicators – six routine indicators including PM2.5, PM10, sulfur dioxide, and two greenhouse gas indicators such as carbon dioxide and methane, as well as particulate matter components (black carbon) and meteorological parameters and visibility.