U.S. Air Quality

International: Haze in Malaysia increases

Regular readers know I have posted about the haze here in Malaysia several times the last few weeks. We have had very little rain and the temperatures have been in the mid 30s C. The last few days has been visibly worse and the news media have at last taken note. The New Straits Times reports on the front page that Air quality in Port Klang drops badly (Port Klang is on the coast, just west of Kuala Lumpur), reaching unhealthy levels with an Air Pollution Index (API) as high as 125 for PM10 (the original data source is the Malaysia Department of the Environment). Based on visual experience, I suspect their index is not set as low as the U.S., although I was not able to find where their index is defined.

The source of the pollution is credited to being primarily from open burning and other biomass burning. When I walked out of work this evening, there was a distinct smell of smoke (so it was at least partially local) and the sun was just a dim red ball about 90 minutes before sunset. The problem likely is a mix of local burning, local industrial and transportation pollutants, and regional scale smoke, intensified by low winds and no rain. The media here is very familiar with the term 'hot spots' to identify burning via satellites. So, on the left is the 'hot spot' map as well as surface winds, showing several fires. On the right is the MODIS image, showing the smoke and haze over Kuala Lumpur, peninsular Malaysia, the Malacca Strait, and Sumatra (Indonesia).

The Straits Times reports that conditions during the upcoming dry season (June, July, August) will be hotter than usual, with likely poor air quality, since this is an El Nino year.