BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China said Wednesday that its meteorological observation stations on three reefs on the Nansha Islands have started operation.

The stations, equipped with observation facilities on the Yongshu, Zhubi and Meiji reefs, will offer weather services to fishermen in the South China Sea region and neighboring countries as well as passing ships, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on its website.

Data acquired through the observations will be used for real-time monitoring and forecasting of disastrous weather in the region, in order to facilitate marine traffic, and fishery and marine rescues, the CMA said.

Also on Wednesday, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) announced that the country has built a monitoring station in Nansha to track regional air quality and climate change.

The station will monitor pollutants including PM 2.5, PM 10, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, as well as other areas of concern such as temperature and visibility, MEE spokesperson Liu Youbin said without unveiling the specific location of the station.