The story of 'measuring rain and counting wind' on Truong Sa archipelago

Diligent with numbers

At the forefront of the Fatherland,Song Tu Tay Islandappears with a cool, peaceful beauty. On the island there are full facilities serving the life, work, and training of the army and people on the island. In particular, on Song Tu Tay island there is a Meteorological and Oceanographic Station established in 1988, located next to the old sovereignty stele, surrounded by green carpets of maple trees, square banyan trees, tra trees...

Song Tu Tay Island seen from afar. Photo: QA

Although located modestly in a small corner on Song Tu Tay Island, this Hydrometeorological Station plays a very important role in measuring and observing information to serve weather forecasting in the sea and islands and send it to the mainland.

We met Station Chief Hoang Van Minh, a native of Do Luong, Nghe An who has been doing observation work for more than ten years on the Truong Sa archipelago. Knowing that we were reporters from Nghe An, Minh smiled brightly when meeting his fellow countrymen in the vast sea and sky. After a friendly greeting, over a cup of hot tea, the brothers at the station shared interesting stories about this special job.

Accordingly, the task of the staff at the station is to observe, measure, record, and update meteorological and hydrological parameters to collect data for domestic and international forecasting with specific indicators on: Temperature, air pressure, rainfall, wind speed, radiation, seawater salinity, seawater temperature, sea level, sea waves, etc. Then, these data will be transmitted to the South Central Region Hydrometeorological Station to send to the National Hydrometeorological Center, creating the premise for weather forecast information to be broadcast daily on the mass media.

Staff of Song Tu Tay Hydrometeorological Station measure weather data. Photo: Tien Dong

Song Tu Tay Hydrometeorological Station has 4 people, including 1 station chief and 3 observers. They come from many provinces and cities across the country and are all young, enthusiastic, professionally trained from specialized schools. On average, each day, they are assigned to collect data and measure about 8 times. However, if the weather is bad, the frequency of data collection is 24 - 48 times/day, with almost no time to rest.

The station was built on the northern outpost island of the Truong Sa archipelago, so the station is the first to receive all unusual weather factors, especially the appearance of tropical depressions or the formation of storms in the East Sea. On days like these, observers work 24/7, continuously updating warning data to the mainland to widely inform about the weather in the sea area for people across the country. At the same time, the station also shares information with the military and people on the island, fishermen fishing in the fishing grounds to prepare response plans, especially during the rainy and stormy season.

“The data used for weather forecasting will affect the lives, activities and production of many people on land as well as at sea, so it requires that the data be measured accurately. If there are any shortcomings during the observation process, leading to incorrect weather forecasts, it will cause unpredictable consequences. We always keep in mind that when working, we must be meticulous and careful, not allowing any mistakes, even the smallest ones…” - Mr. Minh emphasized.

Data on sunshine, wind, temperature, ocean waves... are reported to devices at the station. Photo: QA

Currently, in the Truong Sa archipelago, there are two meteorological and oceanographic stations on Truong Sa Lon Island and Song Tu Tay Island. The meteorological and oceanographic officers and staff who work in Truong Sa usually return to the mainland or to other islands to take up new assignments for 3 years. Thus, the work of "measuring rain and counting wind" continues every day to provide weather information to the people on the mainland, the military and people on the islands and fishermen offshore.

Efforts to overcome difficulties

Observation work is already difficult, but observation on the island outpost of the Fatherland is even more difficult. Especially during the rainy and stormy season, this place is the first point to receive storms in the East Sea; on days like that, while people and households look for safe shelters, observers brave the rain and wind to continue recording data to serve information for the whole country.

Mr. Hoang Van Minh recalled that at the end of 2021, a super typhoon appeared in the East Sea. Our meteorological station monitored the storm's wind force of level 14, gusting to level 17, which is considered a record in the monitoring industry so far. When the wind force reached level 17, two wind measuring columns at the unit were broken, leading to an interruption in monitoring. The staff had to observe the actual movement of leaves to estimate the wind force. At that time, the storm swept into Song Tu Tay Island, causing 90% of the trees to fall and structures to be damaged. However, because we had the data, we shared the information with the military and people on the island to proactively respond, so there was no loss of life. After receiving the signal, the ships also returned to the harbor to ensure safety.

After collecting the data, Mr. Minh recorded it completely, meticulously, and promptly sent it to the mainland. Photo: QA

In Truong Sa, covered by salt and hot sea water all year round, the monitoring machines are also corroded so the quality is constantly degraded. This is also the thing that officers and employees worry about the most, because when the machines are damaged, they cannot perform their tasks. Therefore, they must regularly clean and maintain the equipment. If the measurement data is not up to standard, inaccurate forecasts will affect many people.

Due to the long distance, the monitoring equipment on the island cannot be as modern as on the mainland, not to mention the power source is also unstable at times, interrupting the measurement and data transmission work. Despite facing many difficulties, the staff at the station still encourage each other to overcome and unite to complete the task well. For decades, every day, the data has been transferred to the mainland regularly, helping the work of preventing natural disasters on the mainland and islands to take place quickly and promptly, minimizing damage when storms and rains make landfall.

Nghe An Newspaper reporter talks with staff of Song Tu Tay Hydrometeorological Station. Photo: Tien Dong

Together with the soldiers and people on the sacred islands of the Fatherland, over the years, the staff of the Hydrometeorological Station have always kept in mind that working at the forefront of the waves and winds is a great honor, that is, contributing to the protection of the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland and the homeland's seas and islands.