XN000022-1983-04-05 — Page 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1983

AIR POLLUTION METEOROLOGY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

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THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES EVER CONDUCTED IN HONG KONG ON AIR POLLUTION METEOROLOGY IS IN PROGRESS.

THE LONG-TERM PROJECT, WHICH IS BEING CARRIED OUT BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY'S AIR POLLUTION METEOROLOGY RESEARCH UNIT (APMRU), WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION NEEDED FOR TOWN PLANNING AND LAND USE.

IN THE PAST. THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY PROVIDED INFORMATION BASED ON DATA AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES.

THE HEADED BY A SENIOR SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, MRS ELAINE KOO, APMRU COMPRISES FOUR OTHER OFFICERS — TWO METEOROLOGISTS HOLDING PH.D. DEGREES PLUS TWO TECHNICAL STAFF.

USING ADVANCED EQUIPMENT AND METHODS, THE APMRU WILL DETERMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIR POLLUTION DISPERSION POTENTIAL IN SPECIFIC AREAS PLANNED FOR DEVELOPMENT OR FOR LARGE-SCALE ENGINEERING PROJECTS WHICH ARE LIKELY TO GENERATE AIR POLLUTANTS.

→THE FINDINGS WILL ALSO BE USEFUL FOR ASSESSING THE FUTURE AIR

THIS POLLUTION BURDEN THAT CAN BE TOLERATED IN AN AREA. ASSESSMENT, IN TURN, WILL PROVIDE USEFUL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND GUIDELINES FOR LAND USE STRATEGY AND TOWN PLANNING,+ MRS KOO EXPLAINED.

IT IS PLANNED THAT 18 DIFFERENT REGIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED INDIVIDUALLY SO THAT THE AIR POLLUTION METEOROLOGY OF THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE DETERMINED, MRS KOO SAID.

+WHEN THIS IS DONE, POLLUTION-GENERATING OPERATIONS MAY BE LOCATED WHERE THE NATURAL ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION CAPABILITY IS GREATEST, SHE ADDED.

THE FIRST REGION SELECTED FOR INVESTIGATION IS JUNK BAY WHERE A NEW TOWN IS BEING PLANNED FOR A TARGET POPULATION OF ABOUT 300 000 PEOPLE.

THE STUDY COVERS A SITE ABOUT EIGHT KILOMETRES EAST OF THE HIGHLY URBANISED AREA OF KOWLOON PENINSULA.

+ IT IS EXPECTED THAT ON THE BASIS OF THIS STUDY, RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS MAY BE SO LOCATED AS TO MINIMISE THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION FOR THE RESIDENTS, MRS KOO SAID.

A REPORT WILL BE MADE WHEN THE RESEARCH IS COMPLETED AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

FOR EACH STUDY, DATA WILL BE GATHERED FROM A FIELD SITE FOR A YEAR BECAUSE AT LEAST ONE FULL YEAR'S DATA INPUT IS REQUIRED TO PORTRAY A METEOROLOGICALLY REPRESENTATIVE PATTERN OF AN AREA, MRS KOO POINTED OUT.