Air Quality Data¶
During the Our Streets Chorlton project, Open Data Manchester placed two Earthsense Zephyr air-quality monitors at different locations to measure the amount or concentration of pollutants in the local atmosphere, so we can track how these change over time.
Locations¶
One air quality monitor was located at the interchange of Wilbraham Road and Barlow Moor Road, known locally as ‘Four Banks’.
The other was located on Darley Avenue outside Barlow Hall Primary School between February - August 2021 to coincide with the school streets activity. After the conclusion of this activity, it was relocated to Sandy Lane.
Measurements¶
Concentrations of pollutants are often measured in micrograms (one millionth of a gram or ) per metre cubed , represented as
Particulate matters (PM), such as soot from the burning of fuel and vehicle exhausts, are categorised by size and measured in micrometres (a millionth of a metre – the width of a single human hair measures from 20 - 200).
The pollutants we’ve measured are:
- Nitrogen monoxide, also known as nitric oxide ()
- Nitrogen dixoxide ()
- Ozone ()
- Particulate matter by size:
- PM1 – particles less than 1 in width
- PM2.5 – particles less than 2.5 in width
- PM10 – particles less than 10 in width
One pollutant that we aren’t measuring is sulphur dioxide () – which is often a by-product of burning coal or oil in power stations – and in large concentrations, along with NO, produces acid rain. As well as these pollutants in the air, we’ve also been measuring the temperature and humidity at our locations, as these have an effect on the pollutants present and can also tell us things about the local environmental conditions.
Usage and licensing¶
Data is provided in csv and kml formats under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence.
You may use this dataset for any non-commercial purpose. You must use the correct attributions and licence.