Shanghai updates air pollution gauge (2)

Other sources include sandstorms out of northwestern China and crop waste incineration in northern China, according to the press release.

Each source causes different kinds of pollution, including PM 2.5, PM 10 and photochemical smog.

"As a first step to improving air quality in the Yangtze River Delta, this joint effort can help authorities identify the sources of pollution," Zhuang told the Global Times.

Because the new index tracks pollutants that have already been gauged at high levels in the city, Shanghai residents will likely see the number of days when the air is considered polluted rise to more than 100 each year, up from the current 30 or so, according to an engineer surnamed Wang from the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center.

"The high reading of two of the new pollutants, PM 2.5 and ozone, will certainly push the index higher, so more days of bad air quality will be reported," Wang told the Global Times.

The Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center publishes the AQI on its website on an hourly basis.

The center reports the severity of each pollutant on a six-level scale, with each level displayed in a different color. Green means excellent and maroon indicates heavy pollution.

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