Chinese authorities shut down much of
Harbin—a city of more than 10 million people—as unusually high levels
of pollution shrouded the city and the surrounding region in
mid-October. Measurements taken on October 20, 2013, scored the air quality index (AQI) in the city at 500, the highest possible reading. Levels above 300 are considered hazardous to human health.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua
satellite acquired this natural-color image of northeastern China on
October 21, 2013. The brightest areas are fog, which has a tinge of gray
or yellow due to the air pollution. Other cloud-free areas have a pall
of gray and brown smog that blots out the city and surrounding towns.
Some neighborhoods experienced concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as high as 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter. For comparison, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality standards say PM2.5
should remain below 35 micrograms per cubic meter. It is extremely rare
for particulate levels to reach that high in the absence of a dust
storm or forest fire.
Chinese authorities grounded airplanes, shuttered thousands of
schools, and closed major roads in response to the surge in pollution. A
few days after pollution levels started to rise, Harbin hospitals
reported a 30 percent increase in admissions related to respiratory
problems, and several Harbin pharmacies were sold out of pollution
facemasks, according to media reports.
Cold weather and the lack of wind helped fuel the pollution outbreak,
but human factors also played an important role. Wheat and corn farmers
in the region light fires in the fall to burn off debris following the
harvest. Also, city officials turned on Harbin’s city-wide, coal-powered
heating system just prior to the pollution outbreak, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Resources
- Air Pollution in China: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map. Accessed October 22, 2013.
- China Air Daily. Accessed October 22, 2013.
References
- NASA Earth Observatory (2012, March 23) Satellites Map Fine Aerosol Pollution Over China.
- NASA (2010, September 22) New Map Offers a Global View of Health-Sapping Air Pollution. Accessed Accessed October 22, 2013.
- The New York Times (2013, October 21) ‘Airpocalypse’ Hits Harbin, Closing Schools. Accessed October 22, 2013.
- The Washington Post (2013, October 22) Smog paralyzes cities in northeast China. Accessed October 22, 2013.
- Wall Street Journal (2013, October 22) Heavy Smog Lingers in Northern China. Accessed October 22, 2013.
- Xinhua New Agency (2013, October 21) Thick smog forces schools, highways to close. Accessed October 22, 2013.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.
- Instrument:
- Aqua - MODIS
NASA: China - Harbin - Smog Shuts Down Harbin - 10.23.13
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Mis blogs son una casa abierta a todas las culturas, religiones y países. Se un seguidor si quieres, con esta acción usted está construyendo una nueva cultura de la tolerancia, la mente y el corazón abiertos para la paz, el amor y el respeto humano.
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