SHANGHAI: Visitors to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo are in for a cool experience, according to the event's organizer.

Hong Hao, director of the bureau of Shanghai World Expo coordination, recently said the temperature within the confines of the 5.28-square-kilometer venue will be 3-5 C lower than the average temperature in other buildings downtown.

"During the six-month period, the expo site will be the coolest area in Shanghai," he said during an online chat with netizens on Eastday.com.

The 2010 World Expo will take place between May and October, straddling the year's hottest months as well as typhoon season.

One of the temperature control measures being planned will see the relatively cooler air above the Huangpu River redistributed to areas along the river's banks and even to the expo venue itself. Hong said his bureau was studying other ways to take advantage of the Huangpu River's natural cooling mechanisms.

The layout of the structures at the expo venue, particularly its green areas, and any further construction along the riverside will also have a role to play in the temperature-lowering effort, he added.

The venue's layout plan calls for a 300,000 square meter patch of green land to be built along the Huangpu River in Pudong. It will be the city's largest open green space. The so-called Expo Park will have a separate man-made river with water drawn from the Huangpu River. In addition, the expo venue will have more than 50 hectares of green space, which will help regulate the temperature.

Water sprayers will be installed along major roads and entrances within the expo site to cool the air. The water will be drawn from the Huangpu River.

The expo's organizers expect to attract 70 million visitors from both home and abroad, and controlling the temperature has been a key concern at all stages of planning.

In addition to using air and water from the Huangpu River, the organizer is also considering building large awnings to protect visitors from the sun during the daytime hours.

Hong said a long elevated footpath will also be built at the expo site, which will allow visitors to walk safely in the shadows.

Local meteorologists and the expo organizer are also working together on several projects to help them accurately forecast weather. Meteorologists have said providing better weather services during the expo will be a priority given the likelihood of extreme weather during the expo.

A meteorological network that includes 18 weather stations will be set up on the expo site by 2010, said Tang Xu, director of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Tang added that meteorological authorities will take measures to dispel rain, fog and hail in order to guarantee nice weather.

(China Daily 04/12/2007 page4)