April
13, 2007
ARGONNE
HELPS IMPROVE AIR
QUALITY FOR 2008 BEIJING
OLYMPICS
To improve the air
quality of
Beijing and ensure a healthy atmosphere for athletes and spectators at
the 2008
Summer Olympics, the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National
Laboratory
has been working with leading institutions, including the U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency, the University of Tennessee, Tsinghua University,
Peking
University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The team has
researched and
modeled the local and regional contributors to Beijing's air
quality, leading to a greater
understanding of regional air quality management and development of new
emission control strategies. The modeling study has been widely cited
by
Chinese policy makers, including the Beijing
mayor, in requesting the government to implement unprecedented regional
control
programs to ensure that the air quality goals for 2008 will be met in Beijing.
This research was
funded by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote air quality in
developing
countries and provide a better understanding of regional air quality
management
and emission control strategies. The report, "Air quality during the
2008
Beijing Olympic Games," is available online.
"Air quality in Beijing in the summertime is
dictated by meteorology and
topography," said David Streets, a senior scientist in Argonne's
Decision and Information Sciences Division. "Typically, temperatures
are
high, humidity is high, wind speeds are low, and the surrounding hills
restrict
venting of pollution. Thus, regional pollutants and ozone build up over
several
days until dispersed by wind or removed by rain.
"Our modeling
suggests that
emission sources far from Beijing
exert a
significant influence on Beijing's
air quality," Streets said. "Typical industrial, coal-burning cities
within several hundred kilometers of Beijing
add to the local pollution. In these areas, emission controls on
stationary
sources and vehicles are not as stringent as in Beijing, and
emissions are high. Each
province's contribution varies dramatically from day to day, depending
on wind
direction and other meteorological factors.
"The Olympic Games
are of
paramount importance to China,"
he said, "and great steps have already been taken to ensure success."
"The United States is
diligently working with cities
like Beijing
to
improve environmental controls and reduce emissions in the face of
rapid
economic development," said Steve Page, director of EPA's Office of Air
Quality Planning & Standards. "Over the past several years, Beijing has implemented a number
of measures to improve
air quality, and China
is
now looking at regional approaches to meeting air quality standards
similar to
successful approaches used in the U.S.
The air quality improvements
from their actions will benefit everyone."
##
Contact:
Eleanor
Taylor
Argonne
National Laboratory
630-252-5565
etaylor@anl.gov
This text derived from:
http://www.anl.gov/
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