Air Quality Information

Monitoring Techniques

There are two techniques used to monitor air quality:

1. Automatic Continuous Monitoring
   These monitoring sites measure hourly pollutant concentrations from a continuous stream of air pumped through the analysers. Data are collected hourly by modem directly from the analysers at each individual site. Data are then scaled using the sites latest calibration before being published to this site.
2. Non-Automatic Sampling
   These monitoring locations measure less frequently - exposure of the tube is usually on a weekly or monthly basis. Samples are collected by chemical reaction on a filter or substrate within the tube and then sent off to a laboratory for analysis. Final pollutant concentrations are calculated from these results and the results can take several months to be published.
    

Air Quality Data

• Automatic Data
  South Cambridgeshire District Council undertakes continuous automatic monitoring of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 at 3 sites across the district. A summary of each monitoring site and the current monitored concentrations are available above.  Detailed monthly and annual statistic reports summarising the automatic monitoring data are available to download from airqualityengland.co.uk
• Diffusion Tube Data
  South Cambridgeshire District Council monitors NO2 concentrations across the district with diffusion tubes in 29 [based on site, probably out of date] locations. Results from these locations are available on scambs.gov.uk

South Cambridgeshire DC Local Air Quality

• Local air quality is legislated for under Part 4 of the Environment Act 1995 which introduces Local Air Quality Management, guided by The Air Quality Strategy for England, Wales and Northern Ireland published by DEFRA in 2000.
• Local Air Quality Management is a statutory obligation for all Local Authorities. It involves a rolling programme of air quality assessment, impacting on decisions made by all internal and external bodies responsible for transport planning, highways, growth agendas, development plans and environmental protection.
• The Air Quality Strategy provides Local Authorities with air quality objectives and a year by which the objectives should be achieved. With the use of prediction tools and air quality modelling, it is possible to estimate future concentrations of a pollutant at various receptors. If exceedances of any one of the objectives is identified at a receptor point, an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) is declared.

 Annual air quality reports are available on scambs.gov.uk.