The Nanjing Institute of Meteorology
The Nanjing Institute of Meteorology was our home base for the five days we spent in the Nanjing area. Until this trip, I had not been familiar with this large and active institute. Now I am. Our host was Gao Qingxian, from the institute and currently a student at Beijing's Institute of Atmospheric Physics. As you will see below, he was a great host and guide. This section shows a few pictures of the institute and its grounds. It is located in a country town on the other side of the Yangtze River, only a few miles outside the city but far removed from it in feeling.
A view just inside one of the main gates of the institute. The administration building is seen on the right, with the institute's Doppler radar behind it.
Another view of the ground and the Doppler radar. Note how the vegetation is lush and the sky blue relative to Beijing. The sky is blue because of the lower pollution. The vegetation is lush because Nanjing is a few degrees Celsius warmer than Beijing and receives double the annual precipitation.
A closer view of the institute's Doppler radar.
Our home away from home in Nanjing—the institute's guest house. We stayed in the first floor of rooms above the entrance way. To the lower right is Gao, with a slightly surprised look on his face.
The institute's dining hall, where we ate all our meals when there. On the upper right is the Doppler radar. The fence on the lower right blocks off the area where a large new library is being built.
A typical student dormitory. The institute has about 4000 students.
A convenience store where we could buy snacks, batteries, etc. Its entrance is where the person in white is leaving.
All Chinese institutes and universities provide housing to their staff. Here is one row of accommodations at the Institute of Meteorology. At the end of the walkway is a farmer's market, where fresh produce is available nearly year-round.
The athletic area of the institute. To the rear is the soccer field. In the front are tennis courts.
The institute has an active program in medium-range forecasting. This is the room where they gave us a computer-based demonstration.
A small board for public notices. Although it's hard to make out, the yellow sign on the left announces one of my lectures.
It was the time of year for preparing a certain type of special food in which rice and spices are cooked inside large leaves. Here Gao is showing a curious Kelly a sample of this food that one of his friends has prepared.
Kelly proudly lifts several of the filled leaves tied together.