WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

CHINA

Ozone research has started in China since the 1960's. Two ozone monitoring stations were set up in Beijing and Kunming in the 1980's. And the experts and the related international organizations find the data collected from these monitoring stations very useful and of high vlaue to global ozone research. As a result, these two monitoring stations were awarded as the few best stations of Global Ozone Ground Network. Chinese scientists such as Professor Wei Dingwen, Institute of Atmospheric Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, have made theroratical contributions to ozone research by developing Umkehr method C for remote sensing atmospheric ozone. The use of this method has resulted in some important discoveries of regional ozone changes in their actual monitoring and analysis. Professor Wei also found in his theroratical exploration of the causes of ozone hole of Antarctic that there is another subprocess in addition to Chapman process in the formation of ozone hole of Antarctic, which is scientifically valuable to ozone research for Antarctic.

In the past three years, Chinese scientists have continued as before their ozone monitoring and analysis. They paid more attention to the precisison of data and comprehensiveness of analysis by combining various methods of observation and analysis and collecting data from various sources such as satellites and balloon monitoring. The comparative studies between data of different sources made their study more accurate and closer to the actual ozone changes in the regions monitored. One example of this is that they found out a considerable reduction of ozone in Beijing and Kunming by 10% or so in the spring and winter from 1991 to 1993 by analysing data of various sources on a monthly and seasonal basis.

They are now working on a new model of remote sensing atmospheric ozone vertical profile. Through analysis and comparative studies, it is found that the result from use of this model is more reliable and closer to the direct monitoring results than some current internationally-employed methods, one of which is inversion remote sensing.

In the meanwhile, Chinese scientists have been continuing their researches in the atmospheric physics and chemistry and finding the causes for the ozone changes in the regions observed. And they also predict the trend of ozone changes based on their research results. In addition, the ozone changes and its impact on climate has been their area of research. They provide advice on how to reduce ODS in relation to ozone changes as well.

Here several important institutions invovled in ozone research in China should be mentioned. They are Institute of Atmospheric Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Environmental Sciences of Beijing University, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences under the National Environmental Protection Agency and the research institute under State Meterological Administration of China. They have a team of professionals and graduate students committed and devoted to ozone research.

However, ozone research in China is limited by lack of financial resources and proper data from international sources. Despite that, Chinese scientists have been making important contributions, both theroratically and in actual monitoring and analysis and research, to global ozone research.

In the next three years, the most important plan for Chinese scientists is to set up a monitoring station to monitor the impact of UV, in particular UV-B on human beings and ecosystems. In the past several years, they have done considerable studies in this field but not systematically or in standardized way, so it is our sincere hope that the related international organizations will consider funding the establishment of the monitoring stations of UV-B in China to help improve the research on UV in China, which will prove to be of great importance to global ozone research. In addition, Chinese scientists will continue their researches in various areas related to ozone and move the ozone research in China to a more extensive and higher level. So in this process, the closer cooperation between China and other countries and the related international organizations is crucial to the successful implementation of their research plans.