The Ministry of Environment held a briefing Jan. 6 in Kaohsiung City on research results from a joint experiment with the U.S National Aeronautics and Space Administration on air quality in southern Taiwan.
Hosted by Deputy Environment Minister Hsieh Yein-rui, the event was attended by professors from National Central University and Chang Jung Christian University. They shared findings that pollution sources in Kaohsiung City and Pingtung City and County are a combination of industrial and traffic emissions. Even at heights of 200 to 800 meters, researchers still detected vehicle-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs), adding that attention must also be given to the effects of pollution transported from outside Taiwan.
According to the MOENV, NASA launched the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) February-March in 2024. Two DC-8 and GIII aircraft made flights Feb. 15, 28 and March 13 through southern Taiwan as part of its 7-SEAS project’s Kaohsiung-Pingtung 3D air quality research, the ministry said, adding that drones, lidars, weather balloons and other instruments were used in conjunction with 200 domestic academics and experts to complete the project.
The research was extended to include the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region in 2025, analyzing changes in different air pollutants and cross-regional impact to strengthen cross-county and cross-city air pollution control measures, the MOENV said. The ministry also launched an air quality policy white paper to enhance environmental protection and safeguard people’s health, it added.
The MOENV also observed that during periods of heavy pollution, the concentration of VOCs, a key precursor of O3 and PM 2.5, directly impact ground air quality. The ministry committed to work further with domestic and international institutions to analyze pollution sources and enhance air quality management.
Initiated in 2007, the 7-SEAS project performs interdisciplinary research in aerosol-meteorology and climate interaction from Java through the Malay Peninsula, and Southeast Asia to Taiwan. The primary scientific goal is to investigate the impact of biomass burning on clouds, atmospheric radiation, the hydrological cycle and ultimately regional weather and climate. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
Hosted by Deputy Environment Minister Hsieh Yein-rui, the event was attended by professors from National Central University and Chang Jung Christian University. They shared findings that pollution sources in Kaohsiung City and Pingtung City and County are a combination of industrial and traffic emissions. Even at heights of 200 to 800 meters, researchers still detected vehicle-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs), adding that attention must also be given to the effects of pollution transported from outside Taiwan.
According to the MOENV, NASA launched the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) February-March in 2024. Two DC-8 and GIII aircraft made flights Feb. 15, 28 and March 13 through southern Taiwan as part of its 7-SEAS project’s Kaohsiung-Pingtung 3D air quality research, the ministry said, adding that drones, lidars, weather balloons and other instruments were used in conjunction with 200 domestic academics and experts to complete the project.
The research was extended to include the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region in 2025, analyzing changes in different air pollutants and cross-regional impact to strengthen cross-county and cross-city air pollution control measures, the MOENV said. The ministry also launched an air quality policy white paper to enhance environmental protection and safeguard people’s health, it added.
The MOENV also observed that during periods of heavy pollution, the concentration of VOCs, a key precursor of O3 and PM 2.5, directly impact ground air quality. The ministry committed to work further with domestic and international institutions to analyze pollution sources and enhance air quality management.
Initiated in 2007, the 7-SEAS project performs interdisciplinary research in aerosol-meteorology and climate interaction from Java through the Malay Peninsula, and Southeast Asia to Taiwan. The primary scientific goal is to investigate the impact of biomass burning on clouds, atmospheric radiation, the hydrological cycle and ultimately regional weather and climate. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News