GreenWatch

Air is a shared. Eventually pollutants travel and disperse affecting air quality far from their generation. Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed a way to measure atmospheric ammonia using data generated by NASA satellites. The scientists point out a troubling increase in atmospheric ammonia over the past four years. The areas showing the greatest increases were the USA, Europe, India and China. Much of the increase is blamed on agricultural practices which use large amounts of fertilizer, those which generate large amounts of animal waste and climate warming that increases soil temperatures. In the USA some of the increase may be attributed to the vigorous efforts to control acid rain. As the acid rain has come under control, atmospheric ammonia may increase. Why should we care about ammonia in the air? Because too much can cause a lot of harm. One of the authors of the study, Russell Dickerson, was quoted in the NASA news release – “ It has a profound ...

B. McPherson Is this the future? Residents of Beijing are choking on smog. The miasma is spreading. According to Xinhua News now 50 more cities are reporting high levels of air pollution. Eleven of those come up as “severely polluted”. The smog currently covers 980 000 square kilometres of land. Authorities are hoping for a change in weather to sweep the air pollution out to sea. While Chinese health authorities have set the pollution danger at the second highest level, the World Health Organization(WHO), has a different take on the problem. On Sunday the levels of fine particulates in the heart of the city measured 198 micrograms per cubic metre. WHO sets a safe maximum at 25 micrograms per cubic metre. Authorities have initiated a ban on outdoor barbeques and fireworks. It is unlikely that they are the chief polluters in that country. Coal fired electrical plants, steel works, chemical works and cement production are all big contributors to atmospheric pollutants. ...

B. McPherson Air pollution affects us all. Harbin China is choking on thick, poisonous smog. The financial success of the PRC is exacting a heavy toll on its citizens. The northern Chinese city has been hit with early cold weather and city authorities have responded by ramping up electrical production. The source of energy to produce electricity is coal fired plants which spew pollution. A perfect brew of conditions has served to create this health crisis. The cold weather necessitating a ramp up in coal burning, farmers burning off stubble in their fields, factories that ignore pollution guidelines, high humidity and a lack of wind have all contributed to the situation. Visibility is down to only a few metres in the soupy air. According to the official Chinese news source, Xinhua , sight is limited to 100 metres or less, but in the pictures they show, visibility fades out within about 10 metres. People who venture onto the streets are attempting to filter some of the po...

B. McPherson             Since the Clean Air Act in the US was instituted in 1990 efforts have been made to limit pollutants. Now there is some good news. The American Lung Association(ALA) has announced findings that ozone and particulate matter in the air are the lowest they have been since the group started monitoring in 2000.  The ALA estimates that the measures started in 1990 have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands Americans and added nearly half a year to their life expectancy. There is still work to be done. “The ALA warns that some 127 million Americans – more than 40 percent of the population – still live in areas that it graded with an F for air quality. These people suffer pollution levels that are often too dangerous to breathe, the report says.” Christian Science Monitor California contains some of the country’s most pollution affected cities. Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and Hanford have air that is ...