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AIR POLLUTION ALERT: Seoul, Gyeonggido & Daegu RED DOTS
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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 Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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mentioning farming as a reason is like complaining about someone smoking when the house is on fire
look at the map
OF COURSE farming in Korea produces some particulates but all those warning dots in Seoul and Gyeonggido are not from Korean farmers upwind of Seoul, west of the city.
It's amazing how people try to NATURALIZE it. "It's just foggy"/"It's smoke from farms"
There are a hell of a lot of farms down here in southern Gyeongsangnam province and I know and have suffered a bit of smoke from the farm burns. But what's hit the peninsula this week, and especially the Seoul area, is pollution on a grander scale, from China, adding to the NO2 levels from city automobiles and SO2 from factories: a toxic soup at levels that will kill hundreds of elderly and weak hearted people, and send thousands extra to the hospital. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
mentioning farming as a reason is like complaining about someone smoking when the house is on fire
look at the map
OF COURSE farming in Korea produces some particulates but all those warning dots in Seoul and Gyeonggido are not from Korean farmers upwind of Seoul, west of the city.
It's amazing how people try to NATURALIZE it. "It's just foggy"/"It's smoke from farms"
There are a hell of a lot of farms down here in southern Gyeongsangnam province and I know and have suffered a bit of smoke from the farm burns. But what's hit the peninsula this week, and especially the Seoul area, is pollution on a grander scale, from China, adding to the NO2 levels from city automobiles and SO2 from factories: a toxic soup at levels that will kill hundreds of elderly and weak hearted people, and send thousands extra to the hospital. |
your remarks only further how ignorant you are of agriculture
many, not all, of the rice farmers burn their fields after the harvest. the smoke drifts upwards into the prevailing winds. very simple. it happens this time of the year, also very simple. what is it you don't understand?
it's NOT just a few farms - it's a lot of them who do this. Incidentally, Seoul is pretty much surrounded by farms - in fact - if land here in K is not part of a city, it's pretty much part of a farm unless it's just completely unsuitable or protected.
burning is a very old and traditional form of agriculture - and is practiced in many other places besides Korea. The ash from the burns goes back into the soil and nourishes it.
Unfortunately, due to the encroachment of cities to farms, it's not as simple as it used to be:
here's an excerpt from this link:
http://daq.state.nc.us/news/pr/2000/agburn_0600.shtml
<<<
RALEIGH - Farmers should not burn their fields to get rid of old crops and stubble, even though this was once a common practice, state environmental and agricultural officials say.
Smoke from burning fields causes air pollution that contributes to smog, is unhealthy to breathe, and can harm the environment. Such problems have convinced the state Division of Air Quality and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that burning is not recommended in most cases.
"Smog and other air quality problems have forced us to rethink some practices that used to be widespread," said Keith Overcash, deputy director of the Division of Air Quality (DAQ). "Smoke from agricultural burning is not only unhealthy to breathe, but can contribute to ozone smog that reduces crop yields and damages trees." >>
the entire article can be read at the above link. while it's in regards to the U.S., the issues regarding agriculture and burning and air pollution are the same.
once again, by K blaming China for the smog here deflects from the real problems caused BY KOREANS in contributing to the smog here. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| moosehead wrote: |
your remarks only further how ignorant you are of agriculture
many, not all, of the rice farmers burn their fields after the harvest. the smoke drifts upwards into the prevailing winds. very simple. it happens this time of the year, also very simple. what is it you don't understand? |
prevailing winds? i check the satellite images daily and the winds come from the west, ESPECIALLY in the Seoul area
your explanation is indeed simple, i'll grant you that |
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machellebelle
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:34 am Post subject: |
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The pollution is great for the lungs! Gives 'em a good workout! Especially when you have pneumonia!  |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:39 am Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| moosehead wrote: |
your remarks only further how ignorant you are of agriculture
many, not all, of the rice farmers burn their fields after the harvest. the smoke drifts upwards into the prevailing winds. very simple. it happens this time of the year, also very simple. what is it you don't understand? |
prevailing winds? i check the satellite images daily and the winds come from the west, ESPECIALLY in the Seoul area
your explanation is indeed simple, i'll grant you that |
winds don't always come from the same direction - is that what you are implying?
lately the temp has gone up - which implies warmer air from the south -
even if it's a westerly direction - again - Seoul is surrounded by farms - in all directions -
give it up already - I've more than proved my point - all you can do is blather on about your daily weather reports - which, by the way, you haven't even mentioned the increase in humidity the past week which weighs down the air even more -
Seoul is in the classic "bowl" formation which means air pollution of any source will hover overhead until atmospheric conditions change in a dramatic way to move the air outward - in any direction. auto exhaust aggravates this problem - and smoke will also aggravate it. the surrounding elevations also do more harm by blocking air masses which would help to move out the pollution.
as I said before - the smoke was so strong in the area near where I work - which is on a mountain and northwest of the city - we could see and smell it. that was local, it certainly wasn't from China - |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| moosehead wrote: |
| ...lately the temp has gone up - which implies warmer air from the south - |
it does not imply that but you may try to infer it. sometimes that's the case, sometimes not. check the weather reports. the winds have been westerly
| moosehead wrote: |
| ...the smoke was so strong in the area near where I work - which is on a mountain and northwest of the city - we could see and smell it. that was local, it certainly wasn't [all] from China - |
on that we have no dispute |
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sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
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| Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Today's air quality is exceptionally bad. The current weather pattern is socking us with China's best. It's very white with a chalky grittyness to the air. Yuck. My school taped all the doors and windows shut except one door and we all have a slight cough this morning. Make no mistake, I'm not in the city; I'm in Gangwondo. That's pitififul for the environment to be this polluted. |
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Justin Hale
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Location: the Straight Talk Express
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| Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, my friends, it's an interesting discussion between Moosehead and VanIslander, but ultimately, the pollution in Korea and particularly this past week is heinous as to defy description what ever the cause. Contrary to popular misapprehension, it's far worse at this time of year than in Summer thanks to an almost complete lack of wind and precipitation for weeks if not months. We get a little snow and - yes, today it's raining - but generally it's very dry and still. So, from a mixture of things, it builds up and we in consequence live beneath an ocean of brown pollution. A nonsmoker? HAHA! Forget it! Breathing Korean air is like smoking 10 per day at least I'd imagine. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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It's not "foggy" today in Seoul, Incheon and Gyonggido. It's the biggest system of ambient air pollution from China in weeks accompanying the low system that's come through the area.
http://eng.airkorea.or.kr/
Air in Daegu and indeed most of the peninsula southward isn't as badly affected by the system this time around. |
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justaguy
Joined: 01 Jan 2008
Location: seoul
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| It's quite bad and different. Last night I could smell things in the air outside that I've never smelled before. |
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Poemer
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Location: Mullae
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey Van, no matter how long I wait on my home computer or at work, the real time map never loads. Any tips? |
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nobbyken
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Location: Yongin ^^
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of air pollution problems are caused by the air temperatures at differing levels in the atmosphere.
Sometimes the there is change of temperatures at a low level, which creates a kind of ceiling. By an inversion process the polluted air, which normally heads up to the ozone layer, is trapped at lower levels because of temperatures.
I did notice small green particules on my windscreen yesterday: Similar to pollen in springtime. |
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prideofidaho
Joined: 19 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Poemer wrote: |
| Hey Van, no matter how long I wait on my home computer or at work, the real time map never loads. Any tips? |
try using a different browser. It wouldn't load with Safari, so I tried with Explorer...worked like a charm. |
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egrog1717
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Pretty nasty day in Seoul today... |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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| justaguy wrote: |
| It's quite bad and different. Last night I could smell things in the air outside that I've never smelled before. |
Yeah-I had been sick since Sunday night and got my appetite back. I was ging up to the roof to drink the last of my orange juice [I only drink it wehn sick, going back to childhood] and the smell was tough. In Bupyeong there was a visible haze-I like civilisation, but living in a rural area did have its advantages. |
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