The Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) released real-time photos taken every half an hour by cameras installed at the 325-meter high meteorological observation tower starting from October 2015. The IAP meteorological observation tower (Fig. 1) was built in August 1979 and it is the first time large numbers of real-time photos are made available to the public. The tower serves studies of air pollution, the atmospheric boundary layer, and atmospheric turbulence diffusion, among others. The unique advantage of the IAP meteorological observation tower lies in its height—the highest in Asia and the second highest in the world—and its finely distributed observation platforms. The tower is located at (39°58ꞌN, 116°22ꞌE) and 49 meters above sea level. There are two HD cameras placed at the 280-meter platform of the tower, working 24 hours a day, and taking photos every half an hour, to monitor the weather and surface situation in the surrounding area (Fig. 2). Real-time photos can be accessed at http://159.226.97.116/ .
Fig. 1 The 325-meter high meteorological observation tower of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Credit: IAP)
Fig. 2 The photo shows a panoramic view of the Olympic Park Zone taken every half an hour. ( photo at http://159.226.97.116/)