First outside-China super observation station of B&R climate, environment starts operation

LANZHOU, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The first outside-China super observation station for climate and the environment along the Belt and Road (B&R) has started operation in Tajikistan, according to the Lanzhou University.

This observation station in Shaartuz, Tajikistan, provides comprehensive observation data for dust, pollutants and meteorological elements in key areas of Central Asia, said Huang Jianping, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at Lanzhou University.

It can provide warnings for meteorological disasters and countermeasures to climate change, said Huang.

The station is a part of the B&R climate and environment observation network, which was initiated by the Lanzhou University and jointly constructed by the government authorities and institutions of China and other countries.

Initiated in 2016, the observation network starts in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, with more than 20 designed stations along the B&R countries and regions. By now, seven stations in China and one in Pakistan's Peshawar city have been launched, said Huang Zhongwei, a professor with the Lanzhou University.

The network can monitor the long-distance transmission of sand, dust and the local diffusion law of atmospheric complex pollutants, serving socio-economic development and playing roles in global climate-change study and diverse other fields.