Raleigh air quality map

What wonderful information about air quality is there on the air pollution map for Raleigh?

The information about air quality can be found on the air pollution map for Raleigh. This is easy to access from the main city page by clicking on the map icon at the top of the page. This will automatically open up the map page which is filled with all relevant information about air quality in the city and its environs.

When the map page first opens, the user will initially be met by a wall of colour across the map. This is a visual indication of the current air quality. It is currently green which indicates “Good” quality air. The different meaning of the available colours can be seen at the foot of the page. Colours range from pale green to dark maroon and are used as standard across the entire IQAir website.

There are also many coloured discs scattered across the map which represent the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations but they are not all under the control of the city. These discs carry a colour and also show a number at their centre. This number is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. It is calculated by taking measurements of six of the most commonly found air pollutants in the city air. They are usually both factions of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. Once established it can be used as a metric when making comparisons of air quality between different cities across the world. It is fully endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Each of the discs can be selected for further exploration where a new page will open with all the information about that specific area of the city.

Looking back at the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner at the top of the page that the air quality at the end of 2022 was “Good” with a US AQI reading of 27. The main pollutant measured was PM2.5 with a recorded level of 19 µg/m³ which is almost four times higher than the recommended target figure of 5 µg/m³ as suggested by the WHO.

Scrolling down the page to below the air pollution map for Raleigh can be seen the number of contributors there are who collate the air quality data. There are currently fifteen contributors who operate nineteen monitoring stations. Two of these are government bodies, one is an educational establishment, one is an individual and eleven prefer to remain anonymous.

Can any more useful information about air quality be found on the air pollution map for Raleigh?

There is much more very useful information about air quality on the air pollution map for Raleigh but the page needs to be viewed in full-screen mode to be able to see all the available information. This is easy to achieve by selecting the icon at the top right of the page.

When viewed in this way, four choices should be seen on the left-hand side of the screen. These can all be turned on or off individually to get a better idea of how they influence what is seen on the screen.

The first option shows the location of all the ground-level air monitoring stations. If they appear to be over the top of each other, the map can be slowly expanded until they begin to separate.

The second option shows the location of wildfires that might be burning uncontrollably in the area. Currently, there are no icons of these on the map so it can be assumed that there were no fires burning at that time. If there were fires, then option four needs to be considered because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds which might give a good indication of where the smoke may blow.

This leaves the third option which can be very dramatic as it changes the background colour of the map to reflect current air quality. At first, it may seem a little confusing to look at a map with just one main block of colour. If this is the case, then the option can be deactivated so that the map will revert to a more acceptable set of colours.

The remainder of the interesting information is found on the right-hand side of the page where a table will be seen. This table shows the level of air pollution for the top seven cities in the world. This topic can be explored further by opening the full-ranking section which reveals the air quality in every participating city throughout the world.

Is the source of air pollution visible on the air pollution map for Raleigh?

Whilst the actual source of the polluted air is not shown on the air quality map for Raleigh, it is generally thought that there are two main problems when it comes to air quality. Ground-level ozone which is the main ingredient of smog, and both factors of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10). These are mainly produced by vehicle emissions and from the coal-burning power stations that generate electricity. Unfortunately, the situation will get worse as the population grows and drive more vehicles, and who will demand more power to be generated too. Even though electric vehicles are growing in popularity and in number, they still only account for 0.3 per cent of the total number of vehicles which in 2021 was 8.8 million.

Particulate matter always appears on the air pollution map for Raleigh, but why is it such a problem?

Smog caused by particulate matter in the air can cause asthma attacks, shortness of breath and coughing. It is also bad for the heart and blood vessels. The damage to health is greater if the concentration of particulate matter is higher. Patients with asthma and other lung diseases are particularly vulnerable. Just like people with cardiovascular disease. In severe smog, young children, the elderly, people with diabetes, athletes and people who do heavy work in the open air also form risk groups. It is not known how many people die from the consequences.

There is no known limit below which the amount of particulate matter in the air is 'safe'. We do know that not all particulate matter is hazardous. We inhale the larger particles, about 5 to 10 micrometres, superficially. You can get rid of that dust by coughing or sneezing. Smaller particles can get into the lungs. The super-small particles, the ultra-fine particles, can also end up in the bloodstream.