The University’s Institute for Environmental Studies (now Institute for the Environment), in collaboration with the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, conducted the first air quality measurements taken over Hong Kong. The measurements were carried out from October 3 to November 29, 1994, under a contract with the Hong Kong government’s Environmental Protection Department

On November 21, 1994, Asia’s first ocean color satellite station, installed at HKUST, began to receive signals from meteorological satellites. The ocean color data was used to monitor physical and biological patterns in the South China Sea and to develop a long-term environmental protection scheme for the Pearl River Delta.

The two innovations illustrate HKUST's front-running role in advancing environmental science in the region and long commitment to improving people’s lives in the local community and Greater Bay Area.