Greetings from Mount Shasta! If you would like a real greeting card, the kind that you can hold in your hand, just say the word and I’ll get the Great Printer of SendOutCards right on it. Yesterday’s clear sunset (above) has set the tone for today. We are so grateful for clean air!
Speaking of which, it is time to check-in on our friendly, neighborhood pollution monitoring station in Weed: WOW! I’m excited! There’s a new kid on the block and it offers real-time info! Hourly Air Quality Data (unit 92 in Fort Jones, unit 93 in Weed)
What about our friends in Beijing, though? Has James Reynolds of the BBC updated his pollution readings? Answer: No, today’s thoughts from James are more concerned with freedom in China or the lack thereof. Not that this isn’t a worthy subject. It’s just that I am still intent on finding out how the Olympic athletes are simmering in that wet stir fry of Nitrogen Oxides, ozone and small particle pollution.
Not so good, if you ask Erin Smart, a fencer on the U.S. Olympic Team. Fine, if you ask U.S. weightlifter, Carissa Gump. Both have asthma but will be thankfully competing indoors. The I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee) has promised to postpone outdoor endurance competitions if the pollution levels get too bad.
Bad is an oh-so-relative term. Just whose Bad will the Olympic Committee be using? Beijing monitoring stations that don’t measure Nitrogen Oxide levels? Beijing levels that back in ’06 dropped the two lowest scores from their data collecting?
In my mind, folks, it pretty much comes down to this: Will the I.O.C. let the Chinese save face at the expense of the athletes? Speaking of which, the athletes are packing some serious heat—everything from specially designed filter masks to air purifiers, asthma puffers, eye drops, nasal sprays and throat lozenges. I guess all the efforts to spin air quality are not fazing participants overly much.
To make everything more interesting, Beijing forecasters are predicting rain for the next few days. Moisture from the heavens is expected to do one of two things—either clean the air nicely, or rain-out the opening ceremony entirely:
“We estimate two or three typhoons will hit China’s coastal areas during the Games,” said Qiao Lin , a senior weather official at the China Meteorological Administration. “They might have Olympic Village, Hong Kong and Shanghai in their paths. We will closely monitor and issue early warnings if they do develop into a substantial threat.”
That’s enough from the weather-woman. Could we hear from Zhang Qiang, the Beijing weather manipulation official? How about draining those typhoons with a little sexy cloud seeding, baby? Not to worry, Zhang Qiang assures us; her team is quite prepared to intervene in the weather for the opening ceremony with cloud seeding if necessary.
Cloud Seeding? Typhoons? Holy Deluge times three! Me thinks the athletes should have brought inner tubes, blow up rafts and life-jackets in their carry-ons, instead of all that breathing gear.
In the meantime, monitoring is still an ugly word: Beijing’s air-pollution index for this Monday rose above the World Health Organization recommended maximum for the first time in four days. (Bernardo De Niz/Bloomberg News)
| Air Quality Index – Current Conditions | ||||||||||||||
| µg/m³ | 0 | 40.0 | 80.0 | 175.0 | 300.0 | 500.0 | ||||||||
| 1 HR |   4.0 µg/m³ |
|||||||||||||
| Good | Moderate | Unhealthy Sensitive | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | |||||||||
| 24 HR |  8.0 µg/m³ |
|||||||||||||
| µg/m³ | 0 | 15.4 | 40.4 | 65.4 | 150.4 | 250.4 | ||||||||