March 15, 2011  |    11 Comments

 

Монгол Xэл

The graph below gives you a sense of how very polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar is.

On the vertical axis, the mass concentration of aerosols or particulate matter (termed PM, for short) with diameters smaller or equal to 10 microns (microns are one thousandth of a centimeter – very small!) is shown. The reason people care about particles of this size and smaller (termed PM10) is that they are small enough to pass  through the nose and throat, settle in the lungs, and consequently wreak havoc in humans’ respiratory systems. Therefore, the higher this number at a given location, the worse the air is for human health.

The horizontal axis lists different cities around the world with  some of the highest concentrations of PM10. The gray horizontal line represents the amount of PM10 that the World Health Organization (WHO) finds an acceptable level. Clearly all of the selected cities surpass the WHO standards, but it is also clear that UB levels are among the very highest.

Annual average PM10 concentrations in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia compared with other polluted cities throughout the world.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is a seasonal component to PM levels in UB. PM levels are much higher during UB’s BITTER cold winters due to the an increased need for heating (and therefore more emissions) and an inversion layer that keeps pollution stuck in the river valley where UB is situated.

So basically this very high yearly PM10 average blurs over the even more intense PM levels that occur during the winter season. More on observed seasonal variation in a future post!

 


Монгол Xэл:

Доорх график нь та бүхэнд Улаанбаатар хот хэр их хэмжээгээр хордсон талаарх мэдээллийг өгнө.

Босоо тэнхлэг нь аерозал болон макро бүрэлдхүүн  /товчилсон хэлбэрээр нь МБ гэж тэмдэглэсэн / -ий хэмжээг илэрхийлсэн ба тэдгээр нь 10 буюу түүнээс доош микро метрийн диаметртэй /микро метр нь сантиметрийг мянга хуваасны нэгтэй тэнцэх хэмжээ-маш жижиг/. Ийм хэмжээтэй  МБ /10 МБ гэж тэмдэглэгдсэн/  болон түүнээс доош хэмжээтэйг хүмүүс чухалчилж үздэгийн гол шалтгаан нь тэдгээр нь хамар хоолойгоор дамжин уушгинд очиж аажмаар хүний амьсгалын системийг гэмтээхүйц жижигхэн хэмжээтэй байдагт оршиж байгаа юм. Тийм учраас тухайн газарт тэдний тоо хэмжээ их байх тусам хүний эрүүл мэндэд төдий чинээ хортой болдог.

Агаарынх нь найрлаганд 10МБ-н бүрэлдхүүн их хэмжээгээр илэрсэн дэлхийн хотуудыг хэвтээ тэнхлэгэнд жагсаасан.Хэвтээ саарал шугам нь Дэлхийн Эрүүл Мэндийн байгууллагаас гаргасан зөвшөөрөгдөх хэмжээг үзүүлсэн байна. Сонгож авсан хотууд маань бүгд зөвшөөрөгдөх хэмжээнээс давсан үзүүлэлттэй байгаа ч Улаанбаатар хот тэдгээрээс хамгийн өндөр үзүүлэлттэй нь байна.

Figure Above: Монголын нийслэл Улаанбаатар хотын 10МБ-н дундаж үзүүлэлтийг дэлхийн бусад хотуудтай харьцуулсан судалгаа.

Мөн Улаанбаатар хотын МБ-н хэмжээ улирлаар өөрчлөгддөг болох нь тогтоогдсон. МБ-н хэмжээ өвлийн улиралд  харьцангуй нэмэгддэг нь халаатын хэрэгцээ өсөссөнөөс /ялгаруулалт ихсэнэ / болон Улаанбаатар хот орших голын хөндийд инверсээс болж утаа хургаснаас болдог байна.

Үндсэндээ өвлийн улиралт эрчимтэй идэвхижлэг МБ түвшин нь жилийн МБ-н дундажийг хол давдаг байна. Дараа дараачийнхаа мэдээлэлд улирлын ялгааг илүү сайн судалж мэдээллэх болно.

 

References:

Kan, H., B. Chen, and C. Hong, Health Impact of Outdoor Air Pollution in China: Current Knowledge and Future Research Needs, Environmental Health Perspectives, 117, 5, A187, 2009.

Pandey, K. D., D. Wheeler, B. Ostro, U. Deichmann, and K. Hamilton, K. Bolt, Ambient Particulate Matter Concentrations in Residential and Pollution Hotspot areas of World Cities:  New Estimates based on the Global Model of Ambient Particulates (GMAPS), The World Bank Development Economics Research Group and the Environment Department Working Paper, The World Bank, Washington DC, 2006.

World Bank, Cost effective air pollution control in Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia, Pre-released copy, 2010

 

 

11 comments on “Comparing air pollution in UB to other cities around the world | Улаанбаатар хот дахь агаарын бохирдлыг дэлхийн бусад хотуудтай харьцуулсан судалгаа”

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  • Hi Christa,
    I’m very taken by what you’ve done so far about the air pollution in UB. As a someone who grew up in Mongolia I’m very concerned by this tragedy. I’m currently enrolled in certificate program here at Colorado School of Public Health. I’m taking a Env. Health class and doing a presentation on Air pollution in UB. I came across the PM graph that you put together on the web and I think it will be very useful to show it for the class. Thank you for putting it together! Please let me know if I could be any help!

  • Very nice article on an important issue. The air pollution only seems to get worse every year, in spite of all the talk. The health impacts are appalling, especially for children, and is leading to a serious public health crisis.

    • Hi Alex,

      Thanks for your comment! I have been checking out your blog’s great advice for survival tips!

  • Hi Christa,

    Very important issue your tackling! I may join you in UB as a Fulbright scholar next year, on an environmental and human health issue also! I do hope to meet you and discuss further. Thank you for posting your research and findings!

    Best,
    Ana

    • Hi Ana, Thanks for getting in touch with me and very exciting you could be coming to UB, as well! I would love to hear more about your project – will send you an email!

  • Hi Christa,

    I originally started looking for information about “ger towns” and discovered your website for an anthropology class. So now that I am working on a research paper on Ulaanbaatar for my urban planning class at Cal Poly Pomona, URP 475 Cities in the Global Economy, I was wondering if you could provide me some additional information.

    Are there any good websites or organizations that have information on Ulaanbaatar especially in terms of uban development and environmental impacts?

    I am curious to know if along with the air pollution problems caused by stoves in gers if there was any additional problems with automobiles and/or trucks?

    Does the Trans-Mongolian Railway cause any major negative impacts to Ulaanbaatar?

    Are there any major governmental organizations trying to work on and find solutions for the air pollution problems?

    Sorry for all of the questions. I really appreciate your help with this.

    Thank you,

    Jeff Tyler

    • Hi Jeff!

      Thanks for your message! You should check out: http://ubairpollution.org . It is a wiki site I’ve made to collect everything that has been done on UB air pollution so far and should answer a good chunk of your questions above. I think, by what you have written, you’d be particularly interested in the organizational reports section. This would help answer the question of what the gov’t, NGO’s, and other organizations are working on to alleviate air pollution here. Also, to get a sense of air pollution from vehicles, check out the first paper in the “Peer-Reviewed Scientific Literature on UB Air Pollution” under “2011” (entitled “Air particulate matter pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia:…”). It breaks down what one study found to be the main sources of PM10 and PM2.5 air pollution. As for the Trans-Mongolian Railway causing major negative impacts – I have no idea. I don’t believe it is a major source of PM, but as to other issues it may cause, I am not informed at all on that.

      Hope this helps! And send me an email at christa.hasenkopf@colorado.edu if you have more questions.
      Christa

  • Hi Christa,
    I’m so glad that you’ve put this graphics together. It’s very helpful for the paper I’m doing about Mining in Mongolia which then connects to the air pollution. Thanks for the graph and informations!

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