NTU team peers into upper atmosphere to forecast haze earlier

Monitoring system helped deliver accurate prediction when put to the test last October

- Shabana Begum

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have found a way to forecast haze earlier - by monitoring the often overlooked upper atmosphere, which carries haze particles and pollutants across regions.

With this monitoring system, they can also predict which areas in Singapore will be more affected by haze.

The upper atmosphere lies above the air people breathe in or the ground level of the atmosphere.

Traditional air-quality monitoring focuses on the ground level of the atmosphere.

"If we simply look at the ground level, we may not be able to understand the whole picture of transboundary haze," said Associate Professor Steve Yim from NTU's Asian School of the Environment.