An air quality monitoring station has been set up in Taichung to determine the composition of air pollutants in the city, researchers said on Sunday.
The Surface Air Pollution Research Station, which was established by Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes and the Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau at a cost of NT$100 million (US$3.62 million), would collect and analyze air samples over the next four years, said Charles Chou (周崇光), CEO of the center’s Air Quality Research Center.
In a project led by Academia Sinica researchers, the station would take precise measurements of more than 100 types of fine particulates smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and ozone precursors, which would help the city devise policies to combat sources of air pollution, he said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Average concentrations of PM2.5 in the city have decreased annually over the past several years, but people have grown more aware of the dangers of air pollution, the effects of which are more obvious during the fall and winter months, he said, adding that air pollution still affects visibility in central and southern Taiwan during the winter.
“The complex physical and chemical properties of air pollution mean it is necessary to perform precise analysis on samples to come up with effective policies to combat it,” he said.
Taichung’s geographical location, which faces winds from the land and sea, the urban heat island effect, and valley and monsoon winds, adds to the complexity of understanding air pollution in the city, he said.
The station, which is the first of its kind in Taiwan, was set up on the roof of Taichung’s Second Municipal Government Building.
The project would involve research into the physical and chemical processes of air pollution in central Taiwan, including sources of emission, and how pollutants are transmitted and transformed, center director Chen Yue-gau (陳于高) said.
Researchers would use satellite and surface telemetry technology, optical radars, Internet of Things devices and artificial intelligence, he said.
The team would also use flue samples to analyze the composition of volatile organic compounds, he said.
The annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Taichung dropped to 15.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020, which is near the national standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter, Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chen Hung-yi (陳宏益) said.
“However, the closer we get to that standard, the more difficult it becomes to further lower the PM2.5 level. Last year the level even rose in some parts of the country,” he said.
Ozone pollution is also a growing problem for several counties and municipalities nationwide, he said.
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