It’s getting to be springtime, which is a time when Seoul’s skies have a way of “betaking an awful shade” of orangish-somethingish, allegedly from dust storms way off in China somewhere. One of my first posts here (#12), about this time last year, attempted to document one of those episodes. I was in Korea at the time.
Having been in the USA since January 31st 2014, I missed the most recent episode of this, which was big, sustained. I saw my friend Jared mention it. The “Air-Korea” website confirms it. Pollution data easily accessible there.
Having been in the USA since January 31st 2014, I missed the most recent episode of this, which was big, sustained. I saw my friend Jared mention it. The “Air-Korea” website confirms it. Pollution data easily accessible there.
Here is the PM-10 air pollution data for February 1st to today, by hour, for “my city”:
PM-10 Air Pollution / Bucheon, Korea (near Seoul) / Feb.-March 2014 / [Source: Air-Korea]
The pollution “spike” you see there (yellow and orange) lasted eight full days, from late evening February 21st all the way through till late evening March 1st. (A second [30-hour] spike occurred two days later.)
March First is “Korean Independence Movement Day”. It’s nice that the pollution decided to lift in line with that holiday. It was even followed by “blue skies” [blue boxes, i.e. clean air] in the AM of March 2nd, even if just briefly.
I think I’m glad I missed this one. It’s quite unhealthy to be in those sustained “orange box” conditions. I remember running late once in Korea (actually running, too, to make time), on a day pollution was at those levels. I wasn’t in bad shape, either. I started to cough pretty quickly. Not good.
It’s in the 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 C) here in Arlington, Va., as I write, after snow last week. I’m pretty sure that most places in the USA (including Arlington) would have blue boxes on the above chart most every day.
It’s in the 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 C) here in Arlington, Va., as I write, after snow last week. I’m pretty sure that most places in the USA (including Arlington) would have blue boxes on the above chart most every day.