During the period when Typhoon Gaemi and Typhoon Prapiroon affected China in 2024, meteorological departments gave full play to the role of FENGYUN meteorological satellites, weather radars, Beidou sounding, and large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation, and carried out coordinated observation experiment of typhoons.

Let's unravel the mysteries of these cutting-edge technologies together.

FENGYUN meteorological satellites

Imaging and sounding instruments onboard FENGYUN-4B were activated at the first time to conduct intensive observations and closely monitor typhoon changes.

Relevant instruments onboard meteorological satellites can receive electromagnetic waves reflected or emitted by typhoon clouds and rain in time. 

NSMC activated intensive observation by harnessing GIIRS detector on July 24 Source: NSMC

During the development of Typhoon Gaemi, FY-4B provided products like convection tracking, water vapor animation and others, continuously tracking the movement direction and intensity of typhoons, providing data support for numerical weather prediction (NWP) assimilation and weather analysis.

Furthermore, through networking observation of FY-3 meteorological satellites, internal three-dimensional structure of the typhoon can be explicitly seen, and the whole picture of the typhoon and its evolution process can be captured. 

Geared to Typhoon Gaemi, National Satellite Meteorological Centre (NSMC) also harnesses products such as three-dimensional reflectivity and precipitation rate of FY-3G to monitor its development and changes, which potently supports forecasters in terms of research and diagnosis of the weather. 

Multi-band weather radar networking

During tracking Typhoon Gaemi this year, Fujian, Jiangxi, China has leveraged a new generation of weather radar and X-band weather radar to conduct networking observation, which performed quite well.

Radar combination reflectivity image during the landfall of Typhoon Gaemi at 8:00 p.m. on July 25 Provided by JIAO Zhimin from MOC

LI Lu, engineer of China Meteorological Administration (CMA) Meteorological Observation Centre (MOC), said that the new generation of weather radar could be applied to continuously monitor the overall structural changes of the typhoon in the birth, development and landing process, such as path, intensity and moving speed, but also obtain the refined structure of the convective cell in the typhoon.

Beidou Round-trip Drifting Sounding System (RDSS)

Targeted at Typhoon Gaemi, from July 25 to 26, 2024, in Fuzhou, Fujian and Hongjia radiosonde station in Zhejiang province, Beidou Round-trip Drifting Sounding System (RDSS) was harnessed to 0btain multi-stage observation data in typhoon-affected area and timely master the development and change characteristics of the typhoon after landing.

On July 1, the national upper-air meteorological observing station in Dalian, China officially launched the parallel and comparative observation of the Beidou sounding system and the L-band sounding system.

Up to now, meteorological departments have applied Beidou sounding technology many times to effectively monitor the evolution of severe weather systems, convective conditions and typhoon structures.

Large scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

On July 21, during the influence of Typhoon Prapiroon, China's Haiyan I UAV accurately dropped sondes, recording the temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, air pressure and other data at different heights, and more stereoscopic observation of the three-dimensional structure of the typhoon.

Upper-air large scale UAVs can reach directly inside the cyclone to obtain more "direct" observation data, and together with meteorological satellites, and weather radars, to form a comprehensive three-dimensional typhoon monitoring network, thereby ramping up the accuracy of typhoon track, intensity and wind and rain forecast.

On July 21, pilot of Haiyan I UAV conducted observation mission. Photoed by LI Xicheng

At the same time, Haiyan I UAV can detect and obtain high-resolution vertical profiles of wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, pressure and other factors from the altitude of 10,000 meters, and grasp the development and evolution of the typhoon.

Editor: LIU Shuqiao