Cacak air quality map

How much interesting information about air quality is there on the air pollution map for Cacak?

There is a lot of information about the state of the air on the air pollution map for Cacak. At the top of the main page is a map which when selected will open another new page which will be filled with all the available information.

One of the first things to notice when the new page opens is the overall colour of the map. It is coloured in this way to visually show the current state of the air. As the colours get darker, the air quality worsens. Clean air would be coloured pale green and it gets darker until the worse quality is dark purple or maroon. All these colours are standard across the entire IQAir website to avoid confusion.

There will be several coloured circles distributed across the map and these represent the sites of the ground-level air monitoring stations that collect and collate the data about air quality.

At their centre is a number which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This figure is calculated by taking the measurements of six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. It is then used as a standard when comparing air quality in different locations across the world. The whole system is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Each of the stations can be individually selected which will open up another page with information about air quality specific to that area. This can be invaluable if travel is imminent.

Looking back to the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner across the top of it that in March 2023, Cacak was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 100. The background colour of the banner also shows this level. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 35.5 µg/m³ which is in excess of seven times the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Immediately below the air pollution map for Cacak can be seen the number of contributors there are and the number of stations they operate that supply the data about air quality. There are currently four contributors who control three stations. Two are government departments, one is an individual and the other one prefers to remain anonymous. The government department is the Serbia National Network Air Quality Monitoring which operates 46 stations across the country.

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

There are a lot more fascinating facts and figures about air pollution on the air quality map for Cacak but the page needs to be viewed in full-screen mode so that all the available information is visible. This is easy to achieve by selecting the icon at the top of the page which will re-open at maximum size.

When viewed in this way, there will be a menu on the left-hand side of the screen showing four options. These can all be switched on and off to get a good idea of the effects they each have on the map.

The first option shows the locations of the ground-level monitoring stations which can all be expanded and explored further.

The next option reveals the position of any wildfires there are that might be burning out of control in the area. At the time of writing in March 2023, there were no reports of any wildfires in the area. When fires are blazing option number four needs to be delved into because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give a guide as to where the ensuing smoke may blow.

Option number three changes the colour of the map to show the current level of air cleanliness. If the air quality is very poor, the map will take on a very dark colour which can be difficult to see past. In this case, the option can be deactivated so that the map will revert to a more subtle palette.

There are more facts and figures on the right-hand side of the screen where a table can be found that looks at the overall cleanliness of world cities. Only the worst seven are listed on this page, but there is a full-ranking section which can be opened that shows the rest of the participating world cities in descending order.

Directly below the contributor’s category is a section that reveals the most polluted area of the city according to the readings from the monitoring stations. Currently, the dirtiest area of the city is in the vicinity of the station at Kneza Milosa which returned a US AQI reading of 55 or “Moderate” quality.

The next table shows the popularity of the various stations and the number of followers they each have. Kneza Milosa is the most popular with over 7,200 loyal followers.

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

The source of the polluted air is not shown on the air quality map for Cacak but it is known that the main sources of pollution are intensive local and transiting road traffic and plants for the production of thermal energy that use lignite as a fuel which is very low quality. Cacak’s location is a factor as well because of the terrain, pollution gets trapped below 300 metres due to very low intensity of airflow.

PM particles of 2.5 microns are the most dangerous because they are the smallest. They are created by burning fossil fuels, vehicle exhausts, and wood and coal heating.

PM2.5 is always quoted on the air pollution map for Cacak, but what is it?

Particulate matter (PM2.5- PM10), known as invisible killers from the air, represent dust smaller than 10 microns, a mixture of solid particles of smoke, soot, dust and acid, along with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel and arsenic, and are created as a result of the combined impact of heating, traffic and industry. PM10 is always accompanied by PM2.5 particles, which reach the body even more easily because they are smaller, and it is precisely these particles that carry heavy metals with them.

PM2.5 particles are very small and can only be seen with an electron microscope.