Astana air quality map

What interesting information about air quality can be found on the air pollution map for Nur Sultan?

The air pollution map for Nur Sultan can be found very easily as it is placed at the very top of the main city page. A click on any part of the map will cause it to open on a different page which is full of information regarding the condition of the air.

Once the air quality map has opened, the viewer will notice the overall colour of the map. This colour reflects the overall air quality in the city and its environs. The meaning of all the different colours available is explained in the legend at the bottom of the page. The greenish/yellow hue currently on the map would indicate “Moderate” air quality.

The other noticeable thing will be the coloured discs which seem randomly spread across the map. These are, in fact, showing the locations of the various ground-level air monitoring stations. If some appear to be on top of each other, they will soon separate once the map is enlarged. These discs contain a number which is the US AQI reading. This is calculated by recording the levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide and it can then be used as a metric when comparing air quality in different cities. It is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Looking back at the main city page it can be seen that in September 2022, Nur Sultan was going through a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 52. The main recorded pollutant was PM2.5 with a level of 12 µg/m³. This is over two and a half times the recommended target figure of 5 µg/m³ as suggested by the WHO.

Immediately underneath the air quality map for Nur Sultan is the number of stations there are that are providing all the data related to air pollution. There are currently eight stations operated by both the government and two anonymous contributors.

What other valuable information is available on the air pollution map for Nur Sultan?

Once the air pollution map for Nur Sultan is opened in full-screen mode, a list of four options will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. These can all be toggled on and off as desired.

The first option shows the position of all the ground-level air monitoring stations in and around the city. If they appear to overlap at first, they will soon separate once the map is slowly expanded. Each of these stations has its own dedicated page regarding air pollution in that area. By selecting a disc of choice, the viewer will be able to see the state of the air in that vicinity.

The second option will show the location of any fires which may be burning in the local area. This should be considered alongside option number four which shows the wind speed and direction. This could reveal where the ensuing smoke may blow and whether it will affect the city or not. In September 2022, there were no fires to be seen on the map.

The third option is the most spectacular as it can change the overall colour of the map to reflect the current state of the air. It the viewer finds it a little overwhelming, it can be deactivated and the map will then revert to a standard set of colours.

When looking at the far side of the screen, a table will be seen which ranks world cities according to their levels of air pollution. The inclusion of some of the cities may surprise some as they are not often considered to be heavily polluted cities.

Other information can be seen just below the map where a list of the most polluted stations will be seen. The most polluted area is around the Almatyau station where the US AQI reading was 72.

The next table shows the popularity of the various stations according to how many followers they each have. The station with the most followers at the moment is at the US Embassy in Nur-Sultan with over 22,000 followers.

Are areas of higher pollution easily identified on the air pollution map for Nur Sultan?

There are mainly two ways to establish where the areas of higher pollution are. The first would be to look at the map and identify discs with a darker colour and showing the highest US AQI number. Alternatively, use the table just below the air pollution map for Nur Sultan where the stations are ranked according to their air quality. As already seen, the dirtiest area at the moment is around the Almatyau station.

Is the source of the polluted air shown on the air quality map for Nur Sultan?

The origin of the polluted air is not directly shown on the air pollution map for Nur Sultan, however, as with most large cities there is a lot of traffic and thermal power plants also consume coal and fuel oil and pollute the environment. The situation is especially difficult in the winter months. Residents heat their houses only with coal.

Vehicles are one of the main sources of pollution. Therefore, the increase in air pollution in Nur-Sultan contributed to the decision to introduce environmentally friendly public transport. In this regard, programs for the transition to low-carbon vehicles have begun to be developed.

PM2.5 is used as a benchmark on the air quality map for Nur Sultan, but what is it?

PM10 and PM2.5 often derive from different emissions sources, and also have different chemical compositions. Emissions from the combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood produce much of the PM2.5 pollution found in outdoor air, as well as a significant proportion of PM10. PM10 also includes dust from construction sites, landfills and agriculture, wildfires and brush/waste burning, industrial sources, wind-blown dust from open lands, pollen and fragments of bacteria.

PM may be either directly emitted from sources (primary particles) or formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions of gases (secondary particles) such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and certain organic compounds. These organic compounds can be emitted by both natural sources, such as trees and vegetation, as well as from man-made (anthropogenic) sources, such as industrial processes and motor vehicle exhaust.