PM2.5 used in weather alert system

　　1月29日，中国的灰霾面积达130万平方公里。环保部有关负责人昨日表示，截至当日上午10时，北京、天津、石家庄、济南等城市空气质量为六级，属严重污染;郑州、武汉、西安、合肥、南京、沈阳、长春等城市空气质量为五级，属重度污染。

　　记者昨日还获悉，气象部门针对霾预警信号标准进行了修订，首次将PM2.5作为发布预警的重要指标之一。这意味着PM2.5首次成为气象部门霾预警指标。

　　记者从北京两会上获悉，北京计划于今年年底前出台《大气污染治理条例》，切实改善城市空气质量水平。

　　China's meteorological authority has introduced a new weather warning system for smog which will use readings of PM2.5, a particle pollutant.

　　The announcement comes as thick haze chokes many cities.

　　The National Meteorological Center (NMC) has introduced a three-tier color-coded weather warning system to alert the public to the severity of smog. The system uses yellow to imply moderately smoggy weather, orange for severe conditions and red for extremely severe levels of smog.

　　The system not only measures the density of PM 2.5, a major pollutant that triggers smog, but also takes into account visibility and relative humidity to better reflect air quality conditions, according to the center.

　　The smog that has blanketed many Chinese cities in recent days has affected a total area of 1.3 million square kilometers, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

　　The municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, together with the provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Henan, will remain the hardest-hit regions on Tuesday evening through Wednesday daytime.

　　However, rain and snow that is expected to fall on Wednesday night will help disperse the smog in central and eastern regions, the NMC said.

　　Earlier this month, several consecutive days of smoggy weather choked Beijing and other cities in north and east China, as readings for PM 2.5 far exceeded safe levels.

编辑推荐

　　>>全国翻译专业资格考试CATTI各地报名时间汇总

　　>>全国翻译专业资格考试经典问题答疑

　　>>各地CATTI报名信息汇总

　　>>2012年11月翻译资格考试口译真题

　　>>全国外语翻译证书考试（NAETI）报考指南大全

　　>>2012年中高口译级考试汉译英练习汇总

　　>>更多写作请关注新东方网口译翻译频道

（编辑：何莹莹）