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Get an AirVisual Outdoor and contribute to collecting millions of data points for the Kaohsiung map to track local air pollution
The air pollution map for Kaohsiung is easy to find from the main city page. Just click on the map and a new page will open which is dedicated to the condition of the air in the city. When the map first opens, the viewer will be met by an overall colour which cleverly reflects the overall air condition. In June 2022 the overall colour was greenish/yellow. The meaning of the various colours is explained in the legend at the foot of the page. These colours range from pale green which indicates good quality air through to a dark maroon which represents air quality that could be hazardous.
The viewer will also notice many coloured discs randomly placed over the city itself. They may look random but they show the position of the ground-level monitoring stations which supply the data regarding air quality. Once the map is expanded or viewed in full-screen mode, the discs will separate and become more defined and easier to see. They carry the colour as just stated and also a number which is the US AQI reading. This reading is calculated by measuring six of the most prolific air pollutants and is then used as a standard when comparing cities throughout the world. It is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
When an individual disc is selected, a whole new page will open giving all information about that station and its environs. Directly underneath the map is shown the number of stations there is that supply the data used to determine the overall air quality. Currently, there are 14 stations controlled by two contributors. One is contributed by an individual whilst the remaining 13 are operated by the government.
The overall air quality in the second quarter of 2022 was “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 62. There were six pollutants measured to deduce this figure and the main one was PM2.5 with a level of 17.5 µg/m³. The WHO recommends a target level of 5 µg/m³ so Kaohsiung is currently over three and a half times this suggested level.
When viewed in full-screen mode, the viewer will see four choices on the left-hand side of the screen. These can be individually deactivated if desired. The first option shows the exact location of the various ground-level monitoring stations, but the map may need to be expanded to separate some of the discs. The second option shows the location of any fires which may be burning in the vicinity. This should be considered in conjunction with the fourth option which shows the direction of the prevailing winds. This may help decide if the ensuing smoke will affect the city or not. The third option is possibly the most dramatic as it influences the background colour of the map. This is a direct implication of the air quality across the entire region. Some may find it confusing, so by deactivating it, the colours of the map will revert to a more natural scheme showing the sea and rivers in a blue colour and with areas of green.
Across on the right-hand side of the map is a table which ranks world cities according to their air quality. The most polluted are shown first. This can be very interesting when comparing it with your home city and some cities on the table may surprise some viewers who assume they are relatively clean cities.
The areas of high pollution on the air quality map for Kaohsiung can be identified by looking for the station that shows the highest number. Directly beneath the map is a list which shows the most polluted air quality stations starting with the one with the worst quality. This is currently the station at Daliao with a US AQI reading of 88 which classifies it as “Moderate”.
Local residents may recognise the industrial zones which often show higher levels of pollution because of the nature of the factories there.
When the wind is blowing from the east, more than 90 per cent of the PM2.5 concentrations in the central and southern regions are mainly from the mainland of China.
Sixty per cent of the country's petrochemical industry is located in Kaohsiung. From 2016 to 2019, Kaohsiung City reduced sulphur oxides by 40 per cent and nitrogen oxides by nearly 30 per cent, but VOCs only reduced by 18 per cent.
VOCs and nitrogen oxides produce ozone when exposed to sunlight. Exposure to high concentrations of ozone may cause headaches, asthma and other symptoms. The Environmental Protection Agency responded at the recent air pollution public hearing that it will list VOCs as the focus of future control. In addition to the petrochemical industry, the air pollution emitted by the electric power industry and the iron and steel industry also continues to erode human health.
There are 52 power facilities in Kaohsiung City, and the contribution of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides has reached 60 per cent. Therefore, the Kaohsiung City Environmental Protection Bureau has been promoting the revision of the emission standards for power facilities since a few years ago. The draft is divided into two phases over three years, requiring the "sulphur oxides" of power facilities to be reduced from the current 60ppm to 25ppm; and the "nitrogen oxides" to be reduced from 70ppm to 30ppm. If the amendment is passed, coal-fired power plants cannot meet stricter emission standards, and coal-fired facilities will have to be replaced by gas-fired facilities.
The Air Pollution Index (API) is used in the daily or weekly report of the city's air quality to represent the city's short-term air quality status and changing trends. The air pollution index is calculated based on the concentration of pollutants in order to facilitate the public to have an intuitive understanding of the pollution situation. In China, the monitored pollutants include the following: inhalable particulate matter (particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter, PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, etc.
PM2.5 refers to particulate matter in the atmosphere with a diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 microns, also known as particulate matter that can enter the lungs. Although PM2.5 is only a very small component in the composition of the earth's atmosphere, it has important effects on air quality and visibility.
4 Data sources