Riyadh air quality map

Live air pollution map of Riyadh

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Most polluted air quality stations

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1 4180 Hanif Ibn Said

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Comprehensive summaries and real-time analyses of the air quality, pollution levels, and forecasts for Riyadh.



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Riyadh MAP AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS

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

The air pollution map for Riyadh is very easy to find from the main city page. Simply by clicking on the map will open a new page with lots of information about air quality in the city.

The first thing the viewer will notice is the overall colour of the map. This colour is designed to indicate the overall air quality of the area. At the end of June 2022, the map had taken on a brownish hue which indicated that the air quality was “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. The full explanation of the meaning of the various colours can be found at the bottom of the map. They range from pale green to dark maroon which indicates hazardous quality air.

There will also be some coloured discs on the map which reveal the positions of the ground-level air monitoring stations. These carry the same colours as the legend and they also show their US AQI reading (as a number). These numbers are derived from the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants and the figure is calculated from there. It is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used as a standard when comparing levels of pollution in different cities throughout the world.

By selecting one of these coloured discs, a new page will open which is dedicated to that particular area of the city. In Riyadh, there was one disc with an extremely high US AQI reading of 236 which is classified as being “Very Unhealthy”. This station is situated at Al Bustan village, near Riyadh. With levels as high as this, you are advised to remain indoors and close doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. The operation of an air purifier would be very beneficial if one is available.

Towards the end of the second quarter of 2022, Riyadh was experiencing a period of “Unhealthy” air with a high US AQI reading of 193. The main pollutant measured was PM2.5 with a measured level of 136 µg/m³ which is over twenty-seven times higher than the target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Is any other information available from the air pollution map for Riyadh?

Once the air pollution map for Riyadh is viewed in full-screen mode, the user will see four choices displayed down the left-hand side of the screen. These can be turned on or off as desired. The first choice shows the location of the ground-level air monitoring stations around the city and its environs. The second option shows the position of any fires which might be burning in the vicinity. In June 2022, there were two such fires to the south east of the city, but according to option four, the wind is blowing in the direction of the city so the air quality might be affected by the smoke. The third option is perhaps the most striking as it can change the entire colour of the map, depending on the air quality. At the moment the colour is a dark yellowish/brown which indicates “Moderately, unhealthy” air quality.

Just below the map is shown the number of stations that contribute to the data. In Riyadh, there are just two stations that are operated by individuals. The stations are located at Al Bustan Village and 4180 Hanif Ibn Said.

Across on the right-hand side of this page can be seen a table which ranks world cities according to their air quality. The ones with the highest levels of pollution are listed first. The appearance of some cities on here may come as a surprise as they are not usually associated with high levels of pollution.

Can areas of higher air pollution be identified from the air quality map for Riyadh?

Areas of high levels of pollution can be identified from the air quality map for Riyadh by simply looking at the numbers on the discs which are shown superimposed over the city. There are only two stations in Riyadh which provide air quality data; one has a US AQI reading of 236 and the other has a reading of 167. Both these stations are operated by private individuals and their popularity is listed on the page. One individual has over 1,000 people following him, whilst the other individual is not so popular as yet. Local people who know the area will probably know where the industrial areas are and other areas traditionally associated with higher levels of air pollution such as oil refineries.

City centres can also have higher levels of air pollution than residential areas because of the high volume of traffic during the rush hours.

Does the air quality map for Riyadh reveal the source of the air pollution?

As is the case with most large cities, these sources usually include transportation, construction, energy production, industrial processes and from laboratories and factories. Riyadh also has a higher level of particulate pollution due to its location of being in an arid region surrounded by desert.

There is no doubt that there are many negative effects of inhaling this polluted air with many oxides that are harmful to humans directly or indirectly. Fine particles alone or with other air pollutants affect the respiratory system, causing bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, coughing, shortness of breath, and increasing eye diseases.

Studying the causes of pollution requires limiting the import of more cars, especially those that run on diesel or those that lack filters to reduce the volume of pollutants, and systems should be enacted to make accurate maintenance programs for all cars that pollute the city of Riyadh and cause some of the diseases.

PM2.5 is often written about on the air quality map for Riyadh, but what is it?

They are very small particulate matter that cannot be seen by the eye and whose size does not exceed 2.5 microns. The sources of PM2.5 vary from incomplete combustion of materials, vehicle emissions, fuel vapours, factory emissions, chemical reactions in the atmosphere under the influence of sunlight and naturally occurring dust from deserts, volcanic eruptions and forest fires.


Riyadh air quality data attribution

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    Individual Contributor

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