Sivas air quality map

Is there much interesting information about air quality that can be found on the air pollution map for Sivas?

There is a lot of fascinating information about air pollution on the air quality map for Sivas and it is very easy to find by using the map icon on the main city page as a link. Once selected, a new set of pages will appear which is filled with all the appropriate information.

When the new page first opens, the viewer will see an overall colouration as the background of the map. This is a method to instantly show the present state of the air. Colours can range between pale green and dark maroon where the darker colours show the air quality is deteriorating. These colours are used across the entire IQAir website. The current colour is dark greenish/yellow which shows the air quality as being “Moderate”. The significance of all the colours can be seen in the legend at the foot of the page.

The viewer will also see several coloured discs scattered across the map. These represent the sites of the ground-level air monitoring stations which provide the city with its data about air quality. If they appear to be superimposed over each other, the map can be slightly enlarged which will slowly start to separate them. They each display a number at the centre which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This figure is calculated by measuring up to six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. They are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Once calculated, the US AQI number is used as a standard when comparing air pollution in different areas and cities across the globe. The whole system has the backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Each station can be explored further by choosing the appropriate disc. This will open another set of pages filled with information about that specific area. This can be very useful when travelling around the area.

Looking back at the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured band across the top of it that the air quality at that time was “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 63. The background colour of the band gives an instant visualisation of it, too. The main pollutant was identified as PM2.5 with a recorded level of 18 µg/m³ (microns per cubic metre) which is over three and a half times higher than the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³, as recommended by the WHO.

There is more information just below the air pollution map for Sivas where the number of contributors is shown, together with the number of stations they are responsible for. Currently, there are three stations all controlled and operated by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation who control almost 300 stations across the country and have over 225,000 followers.

Is there much more information about air quality on the air pollution map for Sivas?

There is a lot more fascinating information about air quality and it can be found by using the “Full-screen” icon at the top of the page which will reopen a set of pages at maximum size so no information will be obscured.

When viewed in this way, a list of four options will be seen on the left-hand side of the screen. These selections can all be individually disabled to see the effect they each have on the map which can be quite interesting.

The first option shows the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations both in and around the city, although they are maybe not under the direct jurisdiction of the city.

The next option reveals the position of any wildfires there are that might be burning out of control in the region. At the time of writing in May 2023, there were no reports of any fires in the immediate vicinity. If fires are detected, then option four needs to be consulted because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give a good indication of where the smoke might drift to.

The third option will change the colour of the map to dramatically show the current state of the air. When air quality is good, the colours will be pale and acceptable. However, as the air quality worsens and the colours grow darker, it might become difficult to see the details. If this happens, the whole option can be deactivated and the map will revert to a paler hue.

On the right-hand side of the screen is a table which ranks the top seven cities with the highest levels of air pollution. The other participating world cities can be seen in the “Full ranking” section where they are listed in descending order.

Underneath the air pollution map for Sivas can be seen a list of the most polluted areas of the city according to their US AQI reading. Currently, the worst area is in the vicinity of the Meteoroloji station with its recorded level of 80.

This section is followed by a list of the most popular stations ranked by the number of followers they each have. The current most popular station with 135 followers is at Istasyonkavsagi.

Can the source of the polluted air be identified on the air quality map for Sivas?

Whilst the source of air pollution is not directly shown on the air quality map for Sivas, it is generally well-known that air quality, which is negatively affected by pollutants originating from domestic heating, transportation and industry in Turkey, causes significant damage to the economy as well as human health. The use of poor-quality coal has a great effect on this.

PM2.5 and PM10 are often quoted on the air pollution map for Sivas, but what are they?

In the world of air pollution and air quality, particulate matter (PM) is a type of air pollutant that continues to be researched. Unlike some other important air pollutants that affect our health, such as ground-level ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, particulate matter is not gaseous. Particulate matter is mostly composed of microscopic solid or liquid particles that float in the air around us. PM pollution can be purely mineral, but can also include organic materials and soot formed after combustion.