Taiwan, US, Japan, SKorea to study typhoon formation

Meteorologists from Taiwan, the United States, Japan and South Korea plan to jointly study the formation of typhoons this year, a newspaper reported Tuesday, the dpa reported.

The four-nation cooperation is part of the World Meteorological Organization's typhoon research programme, the China Times quoted Professor Wu Chun-chieh from National Taiwan University's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, as saying.

The four nations plan to study the formation and to track two to three typhoons over two months starting August 1. They are to dispatch four aircraft to carry out their study of typhoon formation, structural change and change of track.

The United States is to dispatch an Air Force C-130 military transport plane and a Navy P-3 jet near Guam and the east coast of the Philippines and the C-130 is to fly through the typhoons' eyes, the daily said.

Taiwan is sending an Astra jet while South Korea is to provide a Falcon to monitor the edge of typhoons in the waters off Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan, the China Times said.

About a dozen typhoons form over the Pacific Ocean each year, sometimes causing severe casualties, damage and economic losses.