Fifty-year change in air pollution in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Abstract

The change in air quality in cities can be the product of regulation and emissions. Regulations require enforcement of emission reduction, but it is often shifting economic and societal structures that influence pollutant emissions. This study examines the long-term record of air pollutants in Kaohsiung, where post-war industrialisation increased pollution substantially, although improvements are observed in recent decades as the city moved to a more mixed economy. The study tracks both gases and particles across a period of significant change in pollution sources in the city. Concentrations of SO2 and aerosol SO42− were especially high ~1970, but these gradually declined, although SO42− to a lesser extent than its precursor, SO2. While twenty-first century emissions of SO2 and NOx have declined, this has been less so for NH3, because it arises from predominantly agricultural sources. The atmosphere in Kaohsiung continues to have high concentrations of O3, and these have risen in the city, likely a product of less titration by NO. The changes have meant that ozone has become an increasing threat to health and agriculture. Despite a potential for producing (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 aerosols, a product of a relatively constant supply of NH3, visibility has improved in recent years. Emissions of SO2 and NOx should continue to be reduced, as these strongly affect the amount of fine secondary aerosol. However, the key problem may be ozone, which is difficult to control as it requires careful consideration of the balance of NOx and hydrocarbons so important to its production.

The Limited Effect of Reduced Typhoon Frequency on Stream Hydrochemistry in a Subtropical Forest Watershed

“…Results from 34 monitoring sites in the eastern US between 1994 and 2009 showed that legislatively mandated air pollution mitigation measures successfully improved air quality and reduced atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) in the eastern US (Sickles & Shadwick, 2015). In Taiwan, the enforcement of several air pollution control regulations has contributed to wide decreases of N and S deposition (Chen et al., 2014; Lee et al., 2022). Our results indicate that air pollution control measures exerted a greater control on the trend of N and S deposition than variation in typhoon frequency at the decadal scale.…”

Air pollution associate with advanced hepatic fibrosis among patients with chronic liver disease

“…Kaohsiung, where this study takes place, is a city characterized by industrial manufacturing and severe air pollution. 9 Air pollution can cause multiple organ damage, increase the occurrence of cancers, cause lung, kidney disease, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular disease, and increase atherosclerosis, 10 etc. However, the effects of air pollution on patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) have rarely been elucidated.…”