Cartersville air quality map

Is there a lot of interesting information about air quality on the air pollution map for Cartersville?

There truly are a lot of very interesting facts and figures on the air pollution map for Cartersville. The air pollution map acts as a link to a whole new set of pages filled with the latest information about the state of the air.

When the new page opens, a solid colour will appear as the background of the air pollution map for Cartersville which acts as a visual indication of the current level of air quality. The range of colours can vary between pale green and dark maroon and get darker as the air quality gets worse. The full meaning of all the colours is explained in the legend at the foot of the page. They are used as standard across the entire IQAir website.

The viewer will also notice some coloured discs scattered across the region. These discs represent the sites of the ground-level air monitoring stations although they are not all under the control of the city. If some overlap each other, the map can be slightly expanded which will make the discs start to separate from one another and be easier to see. Their colour reflects the air quality based on the data collected. At their centre is a number which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. It is calculated by measuring the levels of up to six of the most prolific pollutants found in the city air. They are normally both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Once this figure has been verified it is used as a metric when comparing air quality in different areas all over the world. Its use is both encouraged and endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). All of the stations contain a full range of information for that specific area of the city and it can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate discs. This can be very useful when travelling around the area or just out of interest.

Looking back at the main city page, there is a coloured banner running across the top of it. The background colour indicates the current level of air pollution. It also contains a number which is the current US AQI reading. At the time of writing in early June 2023, the city was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 72. The main pollutant was identified as being PM25 with a recorded level of 22.2 µg/m³ which is almost four and a half times higher than the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³, as recommended by the WHO.

Just below the air pollution map for Cartersville is a record of the number of contributors there are that collect and collate the air quality data. In June 2023, there were two contributors who operated two stations and they both wished to remain anonymous.

Can any more information about air quality be gleaned from the air pollution map for Cartersville?

There is a lot more information about air quality on the air pollution map for Cartersville and it can easily be found by selecting the full-screen icon at the top right-hand side of the opening page. This will then re-open a new set of pages at a maximum size to allow all the statistics to be easily seen.

There will now be four options on the left-hand side of the screen which can each be individually turned on or off to see the effects they have on the map.

The first option shows the sites of all the ground-level air quality monitoring stations there are in the region. And as already stated, they each contain a lot more information about air quality in that specific area.

Option number two shows the location of any wildfires there are that are raging in the area. At the time of writing in June 2023, there were no reports of any fires burning out of control. If fires are detected then option four needs to be looked at because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give an indication of where the smoke may blow.

The third option can change the background colour of the map to show the current state of the air. If the air quality is poor, it will be a dark colour which might be distracting, in which case, it can be deactivated to allow a natural set of colours to appear on the map.

More facts and figures about air quality can be found on the right-hand side of the screen. A table will be seen here which ranks the top seven most highly polluted cities from across the globe. The rest of the participating cities can be found in the “Full-ranking” section on the same page.

Is the source of the polluted air visible on the air quality map for Cartersville?

Whilst the source of the polluted air is not shown directly on the air quality map for Cartersville, it is well-known that the majority of sulphur dioxide particles come from the combustion of fossil fuels in coal-fired powered stations. Vehicle emissions, fuel oil and gas needed to heat homes also greatly add to air pollution. The main pollutants found in the air in Georgia are nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone, as well as a variety of dangerous fine particles such as PM10 and PM2.5.

Why are PM2.5 and PM10 particles so dangerous to human health?

Particulate matter below 2.5 PM are tiny particles (solid or liquid) that exist in the air and cannot be seen with the naked eye except with a microscope. Particles are measured in micrometres (mm) or microns where each one is equal to 1 millimetre.

To imagine how small a particle below 2.5 µm is, it is sufficient to consider that a human hair has a diameter of 50-70 mm. The shape of the particle, its material, and the distribution of shape and mass of which it is made varies dramatically from area to area and period to period. In urban areas for example PM particles can contain toxic gaseous pollutants within them. Also, during the period mainly in spring, the PM particles include pollen (up to 100 mm), which is one of the main causes of allergies and asthma attacks.