Marine Hydrologic Forecasts in China

Abstract

From a practically non-existent basis before 1949, marine hydrologic forecasts in China have been developed rapidly to meet the increasing needs of marine exploitation. At the present, the main task of hydrologic forecasts in China is undertaken by the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (NMEFC), with regional centers in Qingdao, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Haikou, and some coastal oceanographic stations under the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and its three sub-administrations. Additional relevant work has been done by oceanographic research institutes, colleges and meteorological services. A new marine environmental monitoring and forecasting system is under rapid construction, and the means for marine monitoring are being modernized. Besides routine observations by island and coastal stations, there are sectional investigations by survey ships, auxiliary observations by merchant ships, observations from data-buoy stations, and observations from aircrafts and satellites. The improvement of marine monitoring means has made it possible to get various synchronous and successive data in real time for large areas and raised the accuracy of marine forecasts. For example, satellite and aerial remote sensing of sea ice and sea surface temperature, which undertaken in recent years, has provided satisfactory results and greatly upgraded hydrologic forecasts. A preliminary marine monitoring network has been set up. Accurate operational marine forecasts have been prepared, and the research on predicting theory and methods has progressed rapidly. All these have laid a sound basis for further development of marine hydrologic forecasts in China.