News & Stories

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). 

A widely used disinfectant worldwide, chloroxylenol, has been associated with eco-toxicological threats in water environments due to its relatively high chemical stability and massive consumption. Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have discovered a promising alternative known as 2,6-dichlorobenzoquinone (2,6-DCQ), which works more effectively in combating certain common bacteria, fungi and viruses, and can be rapidly degraded and detoxified in receiving waters. This groundbreaking study is led by Prof. ZHANG Xiangru from HKUST’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who has been studying disinfection byproducts (DBPs) for many years. During the pandemic outbreak, Prof. Zhang noticed that chloroxylenol is structurally similar to some halo-phenolic DBPs previously discovered by his team, which have been shown to rapidly degrade by solar photolysis.

Prof. WANG Zhe, Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)’s Division of Environment and Sustainability, has collaborated with international scientists and revealed the significant roles of anthropogenic low-volatility organic vapors on the secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formation in four megacities in China, providing new insights for effectively mitigating the urban air pollution issues.

The platform will greatly facilitate marine research work and offer valuable data to policy makers

A three-year Jockey Club Sustainable Campus Consumer Programme was developed to promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12.

China’s Special Envoy on Climate Change Mr. XIE Zhenhua shared China’s roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality.

An international research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has demonstrated that cooling by internal waves could potentially create thermal refuges for coral reefs, and may help prevent and more accurate predict locations of coral bleaching. Coral reefs around the world are threatened by pan-tropical bleaching events caused by rising seawater temperatures linked to ongoing climate change and extreme conditions like El Niño.  However, bleaching patterns can be hard to predict, especially in deeper water.  Currently, most bleaching predictions are based on surface estimates of seawater temperatures gathered with satellites.  While satellite observations are important for understanding large-scale patterns and studying remote locations, they are only able to detect temperatures at the very surface of the ocean and provide averages over relatively large scales.