Coyhaique air quality map

What interesting information about air quality is there on the air pollution map for Coyhaique?

There is a lot of high-quality information about air quality on the air pollution map for Coyhaique and it is easily accessible from the leading page. Selecting the air pollution map from the top of the page will open a new page which is filled with facts and figures about air quality in the city.

Once the new page opens the viewer will see a strong colouration of the map. Colours can range from pale green to dark maroon and are used as standard across the entire IQAir website.

There are also several coloured circles or discs distributed across the page. These represent the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations in and around the city and its environs. They can each be individually opened to explore that specific area of the city. At their centre will be a number which is their United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This figure is calculated by taking measurements of up to six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. These are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. Once the figure has been established it can be used as a metric when making comparisons between different cities across the globe. It has the full backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Going back to consult the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner at the top of the page that at the start of March 2023, Coyhaique was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 53. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 12.9 µg/m³ which is just over two and a half times the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO. The use of colour in the banner also reflects this level of pollution.

Looking directly below the air pollution map for Coyhaique can be seen the number of contributors who provide the data there are and the number of stations they operate. Currently, there are three stations operated by two contributors, one being the government department of Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile and the other being a non-profit organisation known as Aires Nuevos.

Are there more facts and figures about air quality on the air pollution map for Coyhaique?

There are a lot more facts and figures on the air pollution map for Coyhaique but the screen needs to be viewed at maximum size so that none remain obscured. An icon will be found at the top of this opening screen which, when selected, will re-open the page at full-size so none of the information will be covered.

A list of four options will be seen on the left-hand side of the page. These choices can all be individually turned off or on to see their full effect on the air quality map.

The first option reveals the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations in and around the city. If the discs are overlapping each other, the map can be slightly expanded until they begin to separate. Each disc can be selected which will open a new page dedicated to that specific area. This information can be valuable for those who travel around the local area.

The second option would show the position of any wildfires that might be burning out of control in the area. At the time of writing, there were no reports of any such fires. If fires are detected then option four will be very useful because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and could give a good indication of where the smoke might blow.

The third option will change the background colour of the map to illustrate the current state of the air. Currently, the colour is dark green which indicates “Moderate” air quality. If viewers find the colour too intense, the option can be deactivated and the colour will revert to a set of colours more in keeping with a map.

The rest of the information about air quality can be found on the right-hand side of the screen where a table will be seen which ranks the seven most polluted cities in the world. The other participating world cities can be seen in the full-ranking section which will open a new page containing all this relevant information.

Just below the section where the number of contributors is listed is another list which ranks the most polluted stations in the city. Currently, the station with the most polluted air is at Coyhaique II with a US AQI reading of 33 which is classified as being “Good”.

Below are listed the most popular stations with the most followers. The station at Coyhaique currently holds this title with just over 1,500 loyal followers.

Is the source of the pollution shown on the air quality map for Coyhaique?

Coyhaique is the city with the highest rates of contamination by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) highest in Latin America which is due to the fact that 94 per cent of the urban population uses firewood as a source of energy for cooking and heating homes. This added to the climatic and geomorphological conditions of the basin where it is located; since in the cold months there are meteorological phenomena of thermal inversion, avoiding the dispersion of pollutants.

To deal with this situation, intersectoral public policies have been developed certain measures such as the replacement of heaters, thermal insulation of homes, construction of dry wood storage sheds, dissemination and education to the community and tree planting.

What are some side effects from exposure to PM2.5 as seen on the air pollution map for Coyhaique?

The effects that particles cause on people's health have historically been associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, and more recently their effects on cardiovascular diseases have also been analysed and demonstrated. The latest scientific work suggests that this type of pollution, and particularly particles from urban traffic, is associated with increases in morbidity and mortality in the exposed population and the increasing development of asthma and allergies among children. In the case of PM2.5, its size makes it 100% breathable since it travels deep into the lungs, penetrating the respiratory system and depositing in the pulmonary alveoli, and can even reach the bloodstream.