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Scientific Management of dust storm monitoring and assessment

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This project is to organize the scientific findings of the monitoring group projects, to set up a project web site and to propose adaptation strategies. Details can be found in http://www.epa.gov.tw/monitoring/ weather/ Welcome.html. During December, 2003 ~ May, 2004, a total of 11 dust storms affect air quality in Taiwan. Among them, only seven events reach a dust influencing rank of one. Only two events occur in spring. The most noteworthy situation is a lot of dust influencing events appears in winter, which is quite unusual. Due to such experience, it is better that EPA starts watching Asian dust storms from the beginning of December. A total of three intensive dust observing experiments were executed in this year. The first one is during 2/5 10am ~2/7 10am with two peaks but low levels. The second one is during 2/14 2pm ~2/16 8am, a local pollution event occurs around 2/19 2am. The third one is during 4/2 2am ~ 4/3 1pm, a local pollution event occurs around 4/7 2am. A total of five meetings are organized in this year. Three are internal discussion meetings. Two are workshops open to general public. On Oct. 15, we have invited scientists from China, Japan and Korea to exchange scientific findings with local scientists. This project has checked into the influence of Southeast Asia biomass burning on local air quality. It appears that air pollutants from mainland China affects Kingmeng, Marzo and Markuon very frequently, but not so easy to detect similar signatures in data collected at Taiwan stations. This project also analyzes the local open-field burning events. It appears that such events occur every day and are not caused just by biomass burning. Garbage burning seems to occupy the major portion. However, the information collected by local EPB are not sufficient enough to reveal more details. This report has proposed a detailed dust ranking methodology and an eight-region PSI ranking system. Also, this project has integrated findings from other projects and proposes to continue support all mo
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