The Beijing Meteorological Station began conducting test operations on February 16 of a new system that will provide around-the-clock monitoring, forecasting and warning of dust and sandstorms in and around the capital city, sources from the station said.

The new system comprises a data bank, dynamic observations, conception models and facilities for numerical forecast and early warning. The data bank includes detailed historical information dating back to 1951 about airborne dust in Beijing, the surrounding areas of Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and other locations.

Cooperation between Beijing, Hebei and Inner Mongolia allows meteorologists to keep constant track of changes in such conditions as wind and humidity through satellites and 200 ground stations in Beijing and its surrounding areas. Detailed sandstorm forecasts, including time, area and intensity, can be made using the new system's advanced calculation and analysis functions.

When the "dustbuster" system detects a sandstorm headed toward Beijing, a signal indicating its intensity appears immediately on station computer screens. Simultaneously, an alert that imitates the sound of blowing wind sounds.

Research and development of the monitoring and warning system took two years, according to Zhang Mingying, spokesman for the Beijing Meteorological Station.

The system can forecast dusty weather 48 or more hours in advance, while application of such new technologies as the mesoscale numerical dust weather prediction system greatly enhances the precision of monitoring.

When test operations are complete, the system will be linked with a data network that includes such special observation apparatuses as solar photometers and radar detectors.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, February 21, 2004)