A hydrometeorologist identified the causes of the smog in Kyiv and predicted an improvement
The deterioration in air quality and the smog in Kyiv and the surrounding areas are caused by large-scale fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which have been burning since June 25 due to falling debris from Russian drones. Combustion products are carried by air currents depending on weather conditions and wind direction.
This was reported by Mykhailo Savenets, a senior research fellow in the Atmospheric Monitoring Department at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service.
The pattern of pollution spread varies significantly depending on the type of substances involved. Carbon monoxide and particulate matter, such as dust and soot, form dense plumes that can be carried by the wind for distances of up to approximately 170 kilometers, after which they gradually disperse into the atmosphere. At the same time, chemical substances, particularly nitrogen oxides, have only a local impact within a radius of up to 20 kilometers from the sources of ignition, as they are rapidly neutralized by chemical reactions in the air.
The main wave of smoke engulfed Kyiv, as well as the Vyshhorod, Bucha, and Brovary districts, over the weekend of June 27–28. After a brief improvement at the beginning of the week due to a shift in air currents, a northerly wind once again carried combustion byproducts back into the densely populated capital.
According to experts at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service, stabilizing the environmental situation in the city depends on two key factors: changes in weather conditions and the speed at which the fires are extinguished.
The current northwesterly wind will persist throughout the day and into the night, continuing to drive the smog toward the city. However, a change in wind direction is expected as early as the morning of July 1, which will completely halt the movement of the smoke cloud toward Kyiv and surrounding areas.
At the same time, active fire containment efforts are contributing to an improvement in the situation. State Emergency Service units continue to contain the fires, thanks to which the areas affected by the fires have significantly decreased compared to previous days. This significantly reduces the intensity of new emissions and decreases the volume of smoke entering the atmosphere.
Ukrinform reports on this.
Dangerous levels of air pollution have been recorded in several districts of Kyiv.
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