Smoke, Smog, Dust 2016-2017 Chiang Mai

[JimmyJ]

3 hours ago, LolaS said:

in europe is 500, what is your point? take a look by yourselff. exageration and faulse data from one day, comparing to rest of year.

 

Instead of being in denial, if you have financial interests in Chang Mai, why not get active in one of the groups seeking to get the government to take serious  steps to protect the environment there?

Edited February 28, 2017 by JimmyJ

[LolaS]

2 hours ago, tropico said:

what is 500?

 

look at the table chart below. the worst country in Europe is Bulgaria with annual average concentrations of about 35 micrograms/m3. 

 

Chiang Mai averages 54 micrograms/m3

 

show me some data. first you accused me of making fake claims and i provided you with some references ....i haven't seen anything that proves your theory and that would suggest Chiang Mai air is healthy.

 

 

 

 

again you pull data from different context ( in this sense annual for country) and compare it with densely populated city. good job,  in mixing frogs and horses. 

[tropico]

51 minutes ago, LolaS said:

again you pull data from different context ( in this sense annual for country) and compare it with densely populated city. good job,  in mixing frogs and horses. 

yes you are right this is not appropriate. But again if I chose one of the worst cities in Europe (Milan) and you look at the annual average pm2.5 it is still lower than here. And Milan has 1.5 million people. 

 

i think it's undeniable that the air quality at Chiang Mai is not good during burning season!

 

 

 

 

[ogb]

I left on the weekend and its really nice to breathe fresh air again - you don't realize how bad it is in the north (even during a relatively  "good" burning season) until you get out of it.

[tropico]

12 hours ago, LolaS said:

we are all suffering in the hell of chiang mai. so many people left cnx that is almost empty.

You still did not provide any data supporting your theory!

How "you feel" cannot be considered research output material. 

Like I said before you are free to think whatever you want but I am sure there is a lot of people concerned with the air quality and they share the same worries as I do because they understand the possible dangers!

 

Then if you say that Los Angeles (just example) is way worse than here it might be true but I don't think that people in Chiang Mai are concerned with that. They are concerned about the air quality in here!!  

[LolaS]

shocking revalation... chiang mai people are trained to sustain high pollution

https://www.facebook.com/100010784736949/videos/387530934949728/

Edited March 2, 2017 by LolaS

[Berkshire]

Pretty bad air today, could see it just driving into work.  AQI numbers confirm.  It's March and the crappy air season is upon us!

[tropico]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

Pretty bad air today, could see it just driving into work.  AQI numbers confirm.  It's March and the crappy air season is upon us!

No sir it's just a conspiracy...I think the air is great!! I feel good!!

[heybruce]

It seems to overall pollutant levels are too bad, except for the smallest particles, which we are told are the most dangerous.  http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/ 

 

That may explain why the air looks better than average for March, but I and others have a persistent cough.

[canthai55]

15 hours ago, LolaS said:

sure, we are dying right now. air is so polluted and disaster.

Are you in CNX ?  If you are, and find it so life threatening, why ?

[vivid]

Actually this year's March/end Feb is still not too bad.

 

Try 2015's or if i remember correctly 2007 perhaps was even slightly worse?     For 2015, we were talking about peaks exceeding 600 ug/m3 for PM10 in Chiang Rai, with PM2.5 perhaps in the 500s.   That's ug/m3 mass concentration per cubic metre, not AQI "index".

 

Every year is very different.  Same for Indonesian peat haze, Singapore, Malaysia etc.  And it's recurring, just a matter of severity, which depends on many factors including meteorological.

 

For those susceptible pax like folks having COPD, cardiac and stroke issues, asthma, allergic rhinitis, bronchitis/pneumonia or just generally sick, the annual PM2.5 concentration literally means NOTHING.    An asthma attack can be triggered by exposure by say 100, 200 ug/m3 in just a couple of hours.  Allergic rhinitis maybe even shorter.  

 

Such a situation played out in Singapore in 2013 June.  The really thick haze was just 2 days.  2 days only, forget about 2 months or even 2 years.  But the A&E admissions were getting crazy.

[vivid]

Annual PM2.5 figures denote long term exposure.

 

Hourly ug/m3 mass concentration, 24-hr (daily) AQI index figures are short-term.  

 

Both has its own significance in its own way.

 

 

[vivid]

Just checked AQICN  (easier than aqmthai.com).  Heh....looks like the party is hotting up for Chiang Rai, for March's main run.   

There's clear deterioration for Chiang Mai today (Friday) as well.

 

Especially for susceptible pax, I'd start to panic when the colour hits Purple for long periods like at least 12hrs, on aqicn.  You might want to leave town if it hits brown for more than 48hrs and you don't have N95s or FFP-1, FFP-2/in-house HEPA air filtration.    

Edited March 3, 2017 by vivid

[Berkshire]

3 minutes ago, vivid said:

Just checked AQICN  (easier than aqmthai.com).  Heh....looks like the party is hotting up for Chiang Rai, for March's main run.   

There's clear deterioration for Chiang Mai today (Friday) as well.

Just noticed Chiang Rai AQI chart doesn't provide PM2.5.  A bit odd.....

[vivid]

Just now, Berkshire said:

Just noticed Chiang Rai AQI chart doesn't provide PM2.5.  A bit odd.....

I am looking at Chiang Rai Gaia stations 01, 02 and 03.  All have PM2.5.   There is one Chiang Rai Maesai health office that's only PM10.

 

Haven't looked at aqmthai, but aqicn most probably has an API linked to aqmthai for its source data.  

 

BTW fret not for those stations not having PM2.5.  All Thailand data is 1hr resolution, that is good.  

Take it this way, if PM10 is orange in colour, then you can confidently take it that PM2.5 is well past red's threshold.  If PM10 is red, then PM2.5 is purple.  If PM10 is purple, PM2.5 is well past brown's threshold.  :) 

[Berkshire]

3 minutes ago, vivid said:

I am looking at Chiang Rai Gaia stations 01, 02 and 03.  All have PM2.5.   There is one Chiang Rai Maesai health office that's only PM10.

 

Haven't looked at aqmthai, but aqicn most probably has an API linked to aqmthai for its source data.  

 

BTW fret not for those stations not having PM2.5.  All Thailand data is 1hr resolution, that is good.  

Take it this way, if PM10 is orange in colour, then you can confidently take it that PM2.5 is well past red's threshold.  If PM10 is red, then PM2.5 is purple.  If PM10 is purple, PM2.5 is well past brown's threshold.  :) 

Interesting take, regarding PM10 and PM2.5.  Regarding the CR AQI, I was looking at this:  http://aqicn.org/city/mueang-chiang-rai/

 

[vivid]

This is today's visible satellite pic taken just a few hours ago.  I think it's more of a Myanmar's issue more than Thailand local issue (of coz if there is local burning then that'd contribute quite a fair bit as well, due to the factor of distance).

 

 

 

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

It seems to overall pollutant levels are too bad, except for the smallest particles, which we are told are the most dangerous.  http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/ 

 

That may explain why the air looks better than average for March, but I and others have a persistent cough.

I just noticed how badly my post reads.  Sorry, I should have proof-read.  The opening sentence should be:

 

It seems that overall pollutant levels aren't too bad, except for the smallest particles, which we are told are the most dangerous.

 

The link is correct, and leads to the most useful part of the post.

[vivid]

Heh...look at the hotspots pattern vs above visible pic.   Look at that Myanmar mountain range (not sure what's the name)

These are high confidence fire hotspots, ie substantial fires.    In the fire map, you can mouse over and get a reading on the intensity and confidence level, time of acquisition etc.

 

http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/map/#activeLayers=viirsFires%2CactiveFires&activeBasemap=topo&x=0&y=40&z=3

 

 

Use MODIS active fires, there is not need for VIIRS active fires (too sensitive)

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by vivid

[Berkshire]

11 minutes ago, vivid said:

Heh...look at the hotspots pattern vs above visible pic.   Look at that Myanmar mountain range (not sure what's the name)

These are high confidence fire hotspots, ie substantial fires.    In the fire map, you can mouse over and get a reading on the intensity and confidence level, time of acquisition etc.

 

http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/map/#activeLayers=viirsFires%2CactiveFires&activeBasemap=topo&x=0&y=40&z=3

 

 

Use MODIS active fires, there is not need for VIIRS active fires (too sensitive)

 

It sure does appear like Chiang Mai/Thailand is getting hammered from all the burning coming out of Myanmar!

[canopy]

It's strange people are saying it's not as bad as last year. It's like waking up at 6am and proclaiming it's not as hot as the day before. Early days gentlemen, early days. The worst is in front of us as most of you know. But the air in the north has been somewhat crappy for the last 4 months which is typical.

 

For comparison sake I am in Phetchabun, not north enough to be as bad as the far north, but the air is tainted and people suffer even here. Presently there's a rim of smog shrouding the horizon and only blue sky is seen if looking further up, visibility is limited to maybe 15 km, and the people are suffering from respiratory problems. When the worst time is upon us coming in the next few months the sun will disappear before reaching the horizon. I don't think there are air pollution monitoring stations here so the impacts are just gained from what is seen and felt. I can feel it in the nasal passages, throat, and eyes. Not as bad for me as others, but still noticeable. Disappears when going to Bangkok.

 

[vivid]

6 hours ago, canopy said:

It's strange people are saying it's not as bad as last year. It's like waking up at 6am and proclaiming it's not as hot as the day before. Early days gentlemen, early days. The worst is in front of us as most of you know. But the air in the north has been somewhat crappy for the last 4 months which is typical.

 

 

I did not say that it's not as bad as last year (2016).  For last year,  if i remember correctly was relatively ok.

 

I mentioned 2015, 2 years ago....as well as 2007.

Singapore's Air Force had to assist in the fire fighting as well by using 2 of its CH-47D chinooks by flying water bombing sorties, they in a military exercise being conducted in Thailand.  It was that bad. Was just mid-march then.   Early march was already way worse than this year's early march (now), hitting over 200 ug/m3 PM2.5 easily with peaks past 300 ug/m3. If i am not wrong by the end of Feb it  was already pretty bad.

In fact in 2015, it set Chiang Mai's 24-hr moving average PM10 record beating out 2007 (which many said it was the worst).  So it depends on how one looks at things.   In 2015 Chiang Rai it was hitting over 600 ug/m3 PM10 1-hr reading, i am not sure if anyone is grasping the reality of such figures or not.  

 

Of course the situation could still worsen rapidly as we are just entering the peak, so we shall wait for another week or so.

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by vivid

[vivid]

Here, for 36t Chiang Mai.  2015, March 9th.  Over 300 ug/m3 PM2.5 already.    PM10 was likely to be over 400 ug/m3.

 

If we were to convert 368 ug/m3 to AQI index figure as what you'd be seeing on  aqicn (1-hr figure), it'd be "AQI 413".  It'd be shown as brown colour.  

But of course do remember, this is a 1 hour peak figure and it sustained over 300 ug/m3 for a couple of hours, so do not use the 24-hr AQI health advisories on this....for that you'd have to use the 24-hr moving average figure.  So that is why i used quotes for "AQI 413".

 

 

 

One more picture, Chiang Rai is 58t i think, or is that Mae Hong Son?  

 

 

24-hr moving average concentration figures ...... savage. I believe this pic that i captured is the peak for the 2015 season

 

 

 

 

Bonus pic for 2015 season, flying over northern thailand.  Taken by one of the bros here who shared this pic.....

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by vivid

[drbill]

Did this time last year appear to have more smog to others ?  I've been having a SE breeze on most days and I was wondering if to the north  of Chiang Mai city this is having an effect on the visualized air pollution. Up in the mountains to the west of course there has been haze for a few weeks and actual field burning could  be seen in in the mountains in early February .

[canopy]

It's been touched on here a bit already, but an important news story has confirmed the government is manipulating the AQI to look better than it is by deliberately omitting dangerous PM2.5 particles. So not only is the government allowing air twice as bad as international standards to be classified as good air, they furthermore are not factoring in particles that are dangerously high in northern Thailand into the equation at all. This story kind of flew in under the radar so if interested: news story here.

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by canopy

[vivid]

Starting to spike in Lampang.  (PM2.5)

 

BTW, ignore that 232 purple reading in Chiangrai.

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by vivid

[vivid]

And I have verified the above 1hr AQI number to be correct.  (but it's 1hr, pls do not use the health advisory recommendations for 1hr readings, those are meant for 24-hr moving average)

 

155 ug/m3 PM2.5 for station 40t in Lampang.  AQICN's data feed from aqmthai (Thailand PCD) is legit.

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by vivid

[user555]

I would like to compare the pollution this year relative to previous years. At the moment pollution in Chiang Mai area is about 150 points in http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/ . I wonder if: 1. The data from the monitoring stations can be trusted. 2. If we have or can find data of the numbers at this time of year in previous years.  

[tropico]

On Sat Mar 04 2017 at 3:12 PM, LolaS said:

it was joke, relax. follow the storyline

So what do you think now?

Still convinced that the air is great and that it is perfectly healthy?

 

[canopy]

In today's news story Haze problem worsens in North as many provinces hit by wildfires:

 

"Disease Control Department director Jessada Chokdamrongsuk recommended that vulnerable groups including the elderly, pregnant women, sick people and children should avoid going outside and wear face masks."

 

The advice seems unrealistic especially considering it probably needs heeded for the next few months. What kind of an existence is that?