Air-quality forecast system for Yangtze River Delta unveiled

A weekly air-quality forecast system for the Yangtze River Delta was unveiled on Monday, the Shanghai Bureau of Ecology and Environment announced.

This is the first time that environmental officials of three provinces and a city are jointly releasing such air-quality reports on a cross-provincial level in China.

Residents can read the report every Monday via the official WeChat accounts of the local environmental monitoring centers of Shanghai as well as Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

The reports will offer air-quality forecasts for the next seven days, including air pollution levels and primary pollutants such as ozone.

Ozone pollution is now seen as a major health hazard worldwide, responsible for many eye and nose irritations and lung-function impairment.

Along with air-quality forecasts, Shanghai will also focus on carbon-emission monitoring.

The bureau uses monitored carbon-dioxide data to verify carbon-emission levels, which is normally calculated based on the carbon producing activity index and emission factors

"The classical way for calculating carbon-emission levels is widely used but the actual situation for different regions, industries and enterprises varies widely," said Fu Qingyan, deputy chief of the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center.

"Sometimes the calculated results are not precise enough."

Eight monitoring stations have been set up on the city's outskirts, according to the bureau.

In addition to the stations, the bureau uses digital tools, such as mobile test vehicles equipped with greenhouse gas analyzers and drones, to keep a close eye on greenhouse gas emission levels.

Also, Shanghai is striving to promote the monitoring of carbon sources and carbon sinks, which in its first phase is targeting the electric power, steel and incineration industries.

Ti Gong

Ti Gong