New monitoring station to improve observations and forecasts of haze

NTU Singapore has launched the first of three new monitoring stations to improve observation and forecasts of haze in Singapore.

Initiated and led by NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), the new station is part of a system called ‘3-Dimensional Real-timE Atmospheric Monitoring System at Singapore (3DREAMS@SG)’ and is located on the rooftop of a building at the NTU smart campus.

The system measures the temporal, spatial and vertical distribution of aerosols and wind in Singapore. Data collected help NTU scientists understand how air quality varies with space and time, which will contribute to more accurate forecasts of air quality in Singapore. 

3DREAMS@SG is a system consisting of three Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) station. Each station provides information every second on aerosol backscattering and wind over a vertical distance of up to 6km above ground. This feature enables scientists to investigate the relationship between aerosol transport and wind at the same location, which is a capability not present in current systems. Traditional air measurements techniques are usually from the ground or from satellite.

Aerosols are particles in the air that can be related to haze or other phenomena such as urban emissions and volcanic eruptions.