Today, PM 2.5 levels reached 418 micrograms per square meter, compared to just 160 on the smoggy days mid-last week. They also bring in significant amounts of fine particles, or PM 2.5. For comparison, the most polluted day in the past three weeks saw just 180 micrograms per square meter of PM 10.īut the catch is that sandstorms bring more than just sand and dust. At the height of this morning’s storm, PM 10 levels reached more the 7,500 micrograms per square meter and settled around 4,000 by noontime. Is it really just PM 10?Īs you might have guessed, sandstorms bring along a large number of coarse particles or PM 10. That being the case, we thought we would explore what exactly is in the air on a sandy day and how a sandstorm differs from typical smogged-up sky. Beijing has embarked on major reforestation projects to help shield the city from the sand, but forestation takes time, so for now, we’re bound to see a few yellow skies this time of year. ![]() Though it may not amount to the 360,000 tons of sand that invaded the capital in 2015, the fact remains that springtime sandstorms in Beijing are a hell of a lot more common than any of us would like to admit.Įnvironmental scholars have recently found that sand and dust storms have actually been on the decline in East Asia since the 1980s due to shifting climates, and yet Northern China has not been spared from the winds that blow sand in from Mongolia. How bad is the smog these days, really? Who is keeping tabs on the state of our drinking water? What has the government done about carbon emissions lately? In Beicology we turn our focus toward environmental news in the capital.
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