As typhoon season enters its peak, several coastal countries in Asia are accelerating the deployment of new drifting buoys to improve the accuracy of typhoon track forecasts and the efficiency of emergency response. This initiative marks the in-depth integration and application of ocean monitoring technology in disaster management.
The Predictive Capabilities of Drifting Buoys
Drifting buoys are ocean observation devices that move with ocean currents. Equipped with high-precision sensors, they provide real-time monitoring of parameters such as sea surface temperature (SST), air pressure, wind speed, and ocean currents. This data is transmitted via satellite to global meteorological centers for use in typhoon track and intensity forecasts. The new intelligent buoys integrate artificial intelligence algorithms to optimize data collection efficiency and significantly improve the accuracy of forecast models. "Drifting buoys provide irreplaceable in-situ data for typhoon track forecasting," said experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). "The ocean-atmosphere interaction information they capture is crucial for understanding typhoon formation and movement." For example, when Typhoon Yagi struck the Philippines and Vietnam in 2024, buoy data helped the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) accurately predict its landfall 48 hours in advance, facilitating the evacuation of nearly one million residents.
Deployment Progress in Asian Coastal Countries
To prepare for the increasingly frequent strong typhoons, coastal Asian countries are accelerating the deployment of drifting buoys:
• China: The China Meteorological Administration, in collaboration with the First Institute of Oceanography, deployed 200 new drifting buoys in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, focusing on monitoring typhoon-prone areas. In 2024, buoy data helped predict Typhoon Yagi's landfall in Wenchang, Hainan, breaking China's record for lowest air pressure (921.7 hPa). • Japan: The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) added 50 buoys in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, integrating them with meteorological satellite data to improve the accuracy of 72-hour typhoon track forecasts.
• Philippines: The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) deployed 30 buoys in the waters near Luzon Island, significantly improving early warning capabilities for storms such as Typhoon Doksuri.
• Vietnam: The Vietnam National Hydrometeorological Forecasting Center added 20 buoys in the Gulf of Tonkin, successfully predicting the landfall of Typhoon Yagi in Quang Ninh Province and reducing flood and wind damage.
As of July 2025, the total number of drifting buoys in the Northwest Pacific reached 1,450, covering a 5°×5° global grid, a 16% increase from 2020.
Improving Emergency Response Capabilities
Data from drifting buoys directly enhances the emergency response capabilities of coastal countries in Asia. During Typhoon Yagi in 2024, nearly 900,000 people were evacuated from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan in China. Twelve northern provinces in Vietnam closed schools, canceled 310 flights, and evacuated 50,000 people. These actions were all facilitated by accurate forecasts provided by buoys. The Philippines used buoy data to optimize flood preparedness on Luzon Island, reducing economic losses caused by Typhoon Trami.
Buoy data also supports regional disaster prevention collaboration. Through the WMO Typhoon Landfall Forecast Demonstration Project (TLFDP), coastal provinces in China shared data with neighboring countries, improving regional early warning efficiency. In 2023, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region received timely warnings for the torrential rains caused by Typhoon Dulis, mitigating the impact of secondary disasters.
Drifting buoys, as the "eyes of the ocean" for typhoon path forecasting, provide critical data support for coastal countries in Asia, significantly enhancing emergency response capabilities. As extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, drifting buoys, as "maritime data sentinels," are becoming a vital component of building smart disaster prevention networks for coastal countries in Asia.