News & Stories

A research team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has analyzed 40 years of data covering around 1,500 tropical cyclones and discovered that average rain rates surge by more than 20% in the 60 hours before landfall. The study is also the first to clearly identify the physical mechanisms behind this increase, showing that rising humidity over coastal areas and enhanced land-sea frictional contrasts strengthen convection, intensifying rainfall ahead of landfall. The results provide valuable insights for improving coastal disaster preparedness and early‑warning systems.

Prof. LU Mengqian, now Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, told the unique story of a little girl in Qingdao with tremendous physical and intellectual potentials.

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) scholars has discovered a significant slowdown in Arctic sea ice melting since 2012, with the decrease rate of 11.3% per decade to an insignificant downward trend of only −0.4% per decade. This phenomenon is closely related to a shift in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern, from a negative phase to its positive phase, which traps cold air within the Arctic region. It is projected to peak between 2030 and 2040, after which the Arctic could enter a new phase of accelerated ice melt. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, this may trigger severe climate and environmental crises within decades.

A groundbreaking climate study led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with an international research team, reveals that a under high-emission scenario, Northern Hemisphere summer monsoons region will undergo extreme weather events starting in 2064.  Asia and broader tropical regions will face frequent "subseasonal whiplash" events, characterized by extreme downpours and dry spells alternating every 30 to 90 day which triggers climate disruptions with catastrophic impacts on food production, water management, and clean energy systems.

Approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People’s Republic of China, the State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities (SKL-CRCC) – jointly established by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) – was officially inaugurated today. Dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by climate change, the Laboratory aims to enhance infrastructure resilience in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and coastal cities worldwide. Its core missions include strengthening climate-risk early-warning systems and emergency response capabilities, and promoting sustainable development to address challenges posed by climate change. Concurrently, a two-day international symposium is being held, bringing together world-leading experts and scholars to discuss how climate resilience in coastal cities can be strengthened globally.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has successfully launched the Global Climate Impact of Methane Seeps (CliMetS) Initiative through a pivotal collaboration with the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (GML) and over 200 experts worldwide. Endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Action, CliMetS is dedicated to mapping seabed methane seeps across the world’s oceans and quantifying their impact on global climate systems. Recently, HKUST co-led two milestone workshops in South America and Africa, galvanizing global efforts to address methane seep research gaps and fostering cross-continental partnerships.

Tropical marine low clouds play a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate. However, whether they mitigate or exacerbate global warming has long remained a mystery. Now, researchers from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a groundbreaking method that significantly improves accuracy in climate predictions. This led to a major discovery – that tropical cloud feedback may have amplified the greenhouse effect by a staggering 71% more than previously known to scientists. The effects of tropical low clouds are difficult to investigate because they are influenced by a variety of factors. Commonly used low cloud controlling factors often struggle to separate the influence of local sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from that of temperatures in the free troposphere – the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, casting uncertainty in projections.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) have signed a collaborative framework agreement to drive innovation in meteorological science and education. By leveraging the complementary strengths of CMA and HKUST, the collaboration aims to enhance early warning systems, strengthen disaster preparedness, and build climate-resilient communities, underscoring the shared commitment of both institutions to tackle global climate challenges and support the initiatives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).