Miami air quality map

What interesting information can be found on the air pollution map for Miami?

There is a huge amount of information about air quality on the air pollution map for Miami and it is very easy to access. Once on the main city page, the map will be seen at the top of the page and by clicking anywhere over it will open a new page which will be dedicated to air quality in and around the city.

When this new page first opens, the viewer might be surprised at the strong colour used for the background. This use of colour is a direct indication of the current air quality. Colours can range from pale green through to dark maroon and are standard across the whole IQAir website. The existing green colour indicates “Good” quality air. The significance of the colours can be seen in the bar at the foot of the page. There are also several coloured discs dotted across the map and these represent the locations of the ground-level air quality monitoring stations although not all of the discs are under the control of the city. They each carry a number at their centre which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This figure is worked out by recording the levels of pollution caused by six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. These pollutants are usually both factions of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. The whole system is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used as a standard when comparing air quality in different cities across the globe.

Briefly looking back at the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner at the top of the page that Miami was enjoying a period of “Good” air quality with a US AQI reading of 27. This was the state of the air quality at the end of 2022. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 6.5 µg/m³ which is slightly higher than the target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Scrolling down the page to just below the air pollution map for Miami can be seen the number of contributors there are and the number of stations they operate. Miami has one contributor who operates just one station. It is a government department known as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida DEP).

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

There is a lot more wonderful information about air quality on the air pollution map for Miami and in order to see it all, the screen needs to be viewed at maximum size. This is easy to achieve by pressing the icon at the top right of the page. When viewed in this way, a list of four options should appear on the left side of the page which can all be toggled on and off to get a good idea of the effects they have on the map.

The first option shows the locations of all the ground-level air quality monitoring stations there are in the vicinity. Each of these can be individually selected and then a new page will open with detailed information about that specific area. The second choice reveals the location of any wildfires that might be burning out of control. At the end of 2022, there were no icons on the map which means there were no fires of significance burning at that time. If any were found then option four needs to be studied because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give a good indication of where the smoke might blow.

The third option is responsible for the overall colour of the map which reflects the current air quality. Some viewers may find this unexpected and confusing, in which case, it can be deactivated and the map will revert to a more subdued colour scheme.

The rest of the information can be found on the right-hand side of the screen in the form of a table. This shows the ranking of the top seven most polluted cities in the world. The topic can be explored further by selecting to open the full-ranking page which is filled with air quality levels of all participating world cities.

Can the viewer see where the air pollution comes from on the air quality map for Miami?

The source of the polluted air is not shown directly on the air quality map for Miami, but like most places, it is known that the main source comes from the transportation sector followed closely by energy production and consumption. Secondary sources include activity at the port due to the number of cruise ships starting and finishing there, and natural sources, including wind-blown salt and sand. Industrial activity also makes a contribution with phosphate processing plants, pulp and paper mills and municipal waste combustors.

Can areas of high levels of air pollution be identified on the air quality map for Miami?

These areas of higher levels of air pollution can be identified on the air pollution map for Miami by looking for the disc with the highest number and/or darkest colour. However, just below the map can be seen a table which ranks all stations according to their levels of pollution. There is only one station that provides Miami with its data which is the Miami Fire Station showing a US AQI reading of 29 which would be classified as being “Good”.

Immediately below this table is another which shows the popularity of each station and how many followers they each have. Miami Fire Station has just over 9,000 loyal followers.

How dangerous to health is PM2.5 as written about on the air pollution map for Miami?

The ultrafine particles are so small that they can penetrate the bloodstream and thereby affect internal organs. Particularly dangerous is the impact on the brain, especially in children, where studies show reduced growth in children's brains when they live close to a busy road. There is also research into increased suspicion of a connection to other diseases, such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

High concentrations of ultrafine particles create inflammation in the alveoli of the lungs, which can trigger several lung diseases, a tendency to increased coagulation of the blood and influence on the heart rhythm.