Continuous measurement of particulate and sulfur dioxide concentrations in Junk Bay, Hong Kong

Abstract

As part of an environmental impact assessment for building a new town in Junk Bay, continuous measurement of SO 2 and particulate concentrations was carried out from October 1981 to June 1982 at three sites in Junk Bay to study the air quality in the area. Flame photometric SO 2 analyzers were used to measure ambient SO 2 level, whereas tape monitors were used to measure the ambient suspended particulate level (in terms of soiling index, or coefficient of haze per 1000 feet). It was found that the mean SO 2 concentrations at the three monitoring sites ranged from 5μg m −3 to 35μg m −3. Maximum daily values up to about 250 μg m −3 and hourly values up to 800 μg m −3 had been recorded on occasion. Comparison of the hourly meteorological data and the hourly SO 2 concentrations in four high-SO 2-level days suggested that the ‘sulfur dioxide episodes’ were all associated with very light wind speeds and local sources. The mean coefficient of haze level in Junk Bay was less than one, which corresponded to very slight particulate pollution.