Reconstruction of HKO’s Tai Po Kau Tide Gauge Station completed (with photos)

     The reconstruction of the Tai Po Kau Tide Gauge Station of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has completed. The station began official operation in September 2024 to monitor the tide levels in Tolo Harbour. The station before reconstruction was built in the 1960s. The HKO, collaborated with the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Architectural Services Department and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, held the "Design Competition for Hong Kong Observatory Tide Gauge Station at Tai Po Kau, New Territories" in 2020 to collect design concepts for the reconstruction project. The design of the new station was developed based on the winning design "Revealing the Tip of Iceberg", using the image of an iceberg to raise public awareness about the impact of global warming.

     The new tide gauge station has a taller interior headroom in comparison to the old station, providing space to place tide measurement equipment at higher positions for measuring higher water levels. In addition to monitoring the regular tidal variations in Tolo Harbour, the HKO also makes use of the data collected from the station to predict astronomical tides, assess storm surges for Tai Po and Sha Tin Districts, issue related alerts, as well as to monitor the long-term impact of climate change on sea levels. The station is also equipped with an anemometer to facilitate understanding of the latest weather condition inside Tolo Harbour.

     The Director of the HKO, Dr Chan Pak-wai, said, "The Tai Po Kau Tide Gauge Station is an important facility of the HKO for monitoring the tide levels in Tolo Harbour. In the context of global warming and rising sea levels, strengthening the monitoring and forecasting of tide levels in coastal areas is critical for coping with extreme sea level conditions."
    
     Members of the public can access the real-time tide information via the HKO website and the mobile application "MyObservatory".