Taiwan hosts NASA experts at international air pollution workshop

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) Atmospheric science experts from NASA and several other countries are in Taiwan to take part in a workshop on cross-border air pollution hosted by Taiwan's Ministry of Environment (MOENV) being held Tuesday and Wednesday in Taipei.

"We expect Taiwan's air pollution monitoring technology to resonate with the world through in-depth dialogues between scholars and experts at this international workshop," the MOENV said in a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday.

"Through cross-border collaboration, we will further improve regional and urban air quality and demonstrate Taiwan's outstanding environmental monitoring capabilities," the statement said.

The workshop, titled "2024 Seven Seas Program and Gaoping Experiment International Workshop," is being attended by representatives from countries including South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Bangladesh.

According to the MOENV, Taiwan has been collaborating with NASA and multiple Asian countries on cross-border air pollution monitoring since the beginning of this year.

Results from high-resolution aerial three-dimensional imaging conducted by NASA between February and March this year were released at the workshop, the ministry said.

Hal Maring, program manager for NASA's Radiation Sciences Program, also gave a speech at the workshop's opening ceremony in which he praised Taiwan's air monitoring capabilities.

"From the results it can be seen that Taiwan's air quality is not worse than that of Japan or South Korea," Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) told reporters at the event.

Peng said that the project measured several major air pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with the results showing that Taiwan's air quality is impacted by local industry as well as high-level atmospheric circulation.

Peng also expressed the ministry's interest in continuing cooperation with NASA, with a future goal being to launch an air quality monitoring satellite with the help of the American space agency.

Lin Neng-huei (林能暉), a distinguished professor at National Central University's (NCU) Department of Atmospheric Sciences, also told reporters at the event that NASA monitoring data from March 3 this year showed that pollution originating from outside Taiwan may even account for more than half of the atmospheric pollution in Taiwan.

By collaborating with NASA on this program, Taiwan was able to gain a better understanding of pollution at different levels in the atmosphere, the professor said.