The Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center in Bergen has in cooperation with the Institute of Astrophysics (IAP), The China Academy of Science established the Nansen-Zhu center in Beijing. IAP is known for developing a system for monitoring and predicting air quality in Beijing, The center’s researchers divide their time between Beijing and Bergen working on testing and implementing a similar surveillance and early alert system for Norwegian cities. First out is Bergen, but the system may also prove useful in larger cities, one of the most immediate candidates at this point being St. Petersburg.
Widespread use
The Chinese model upon which the new system is based is called “Ensemble”, a name which foundations can be found in the basic structure of the product; it is actually a fusion of three different Chinese and American systems, all neatly incorporated. The “Ensemble” has been used for daily air quality forecasts in Beijing since March 2008 for the Olympic Games, and has also been put to use during the Shanghai World Expo and the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010.
Regional tendencies
Furthermore, as part of the Olympic Games, a regional air quality observation network was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University, covering Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei provinces. The purpose of this observation network was to assess how the pollutant transport in the region impacts the air quality in Beijing. The project is still running today, with the support of both academic and governmental institutions.
Homepage of the Nansen-Zhu Center
Homepage of the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center in Bergen