Air quality measurements for the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai

Abstract

Shanghai, the largest city in China, held the World Exposition (Expo 2010) from May to October, 2010. Like the Beijing Olympic Game, the air pollution became the most controversial issue during the Expo in Shanghai. The Shanghai municipal government has already implemented many emission control measures to improve air quality. However, its fast growing economy, long history of industrial development and rapidly industrializing neighbouring provinces pose large challenges to the air quality of Shanghai. In this study, we present an investigation of air quality over Shanghai using satellite and ground-based measurements. The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) ozone and minor trace gases products such as total and tropospheric NO2, SO2 and formaldehyde (HCHO) developed at German Aerospace Center (DLR) have already reached operational status, in the framework of the EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring (O3M-SAF). The ground-based observations are performed by zenith-sky, long-path and multiple-axis DOAS instruments in Shanghai and Fenhu (located in southwest of Shanghai) during the Expo period. GOME-2 tropospheric NO2, HCHO and SO2 products and ground-based measurements are used to study air quality in Shanghai during the Expo 2010. The effect of air pollution transport from neighboring provinces to Shanghai will be researched. Initial comparison between GOME-2 and ground-based measurements in Shanghai will be shown. Long-term NO2, SO2 and HCHO data recorded from GOME, SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 are analyzed to investigate possible trends in air pollutants and to assess the effectiveness of the controls applied by Shanghai government in the last ten years.