The Taiwanese newspaper China Times reported the promising agreement on Mar. 13.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) of Taiwan has been using data and imagery from the Japanese geostationary metsat Himawari-5, also known as Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-5 or GMS-5, for its daily weather forecasting. The switch to receive FY-2B data stems from the imminent end of operation of Himawari-5.

Since July last year the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had reduced the workload of Himawari-5 (Himawari means "sunflower" in Japanese) in order to prolong the operational life of the satellite, which was operating far beyond its designed life. Initially JMA reduced hourly imaging observations to every three hours, then once every six hours, and stopped covering areas south of New Zealand.

Himawari-5 was launched on March 18, 1995 with a life expectancy of 5 years. Its replacement, Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT), was lost during launch on November 15, 1999 when the H-2 rocket went off course.

With only a few kilograms of maneuvering fuel remained as of last October, JMA could no longer perform satellite stationkeeping to maintain the metsat position within its designated orbital slot at 35,800 km above the Equator over the 140 deg E longitude. JMA estimated that Himawari-5 would cease operation in spring this year.

The replacement MTSAT, MTSAT-1R, and its successor MTSAT-2 are targeted to launch in summer 2003 and summer 2004 respectively. This will leave a gap in coverage for about a year when Himawari-5 ends its operation.

The PRC metsat FY-2B, with a designed life of two years, was launched on June 25, 2000. The replacement satellite FY-2C may be launched as early as next year.

Himawari-5 provides crucial meteorological observations of the western Pacific. One option to fill the void is to move the American metsat GOES-West (GOES-10) from its present geostationary position at 135 deg W longitude to the orbital slot of Himawari-5. GOES-West currently covers western North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Another option is to reposition GOES-9, which is stored in orbit as an emergency backup to either GOES-8 or GOES-10 despite its malfunctioning in 1998, to provide equivalent coverage as Himawari-5.

In either option Japan would primarily have to bear the high cost of repositioning the metsat and build new facilities to receive data transmission.

As JMA stalled on negotiating the proposal with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S., the operator of the GOES series of metsats, CWB in the capital city Taipei began exploring the option of using FY-2B data.

Using the Bureau of Meteorology of Australia as an intermediary, CWB established an unofficial dialogue with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), its counterpart in PRC.

In a science conference on typhoon research that meteorology researchers from both sides of the Strait attended last December in Taiwan, CWB officials met CMA Deputy Administrator Zheng Anguo in an unofficial setting. Both parties reached a preliminary agreement to further discuss detailed planning of data reception and usage.

According to the world meteorological community convention, any country or region within the coverage area of a metsat can, after proper arrangement with the operator of the satellite, set up facilities to receive data from the metsat for free.

Unidentified Taiwanese officials said that after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which oversees the operation of the weather bureau, were briefed on the discussion, CWB recently began software communications tests of receiving FY-2B data and obtained satisfactory results.

When testing of the antenna and the best reception location is determined, the antenna will be erected to receive FY-2B data for real.

Officials from both sides are taking a low key approach to the arrangement to avoid unnecessary media hype. However, CWB still worries that a sudden change in the political climate can scuttle the deal and PRC could terminate transmission of FY-2B signals to Taiwan.

The meteorological community in Taiwan is mindful of political factors that has presented obstacles even in simple scientific exchange in the past.

In 1998 scientists from both sides jointly proposed a "Southern China medium-scale experiment plan" which would study rainstorms in early summertime. Taiwan officials insisted that research data should be sent through CMA in Beijing to CWB in Taipei as this was an official collaboration. But PRC officials maintained that data could be sent through the meteorological bureau in Guangdong (or Canton) instead.

The PRC's stance led the National Science Council, the Taiwan subsidizing agency for the proposed project, to hold the suspicion that their position had been belittled. The joint proposal never materialized.

Since then both communities had put in effort to increase contact among the scientists. If the current arrangement with the reception of FY-2B data holds, it would be the first time that meteorological operations from both coasts are working together.

Jong-Dao Jou, Chairman of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the National Taiwan University said, "By chance the door of collaboration has been opened. Through non-governmental organizations' promotion, meteorological communities of both sides can hope for more cooperation in meteorological information exchange in the future, which would help and benefit the well-being of people of both sides."

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