The map above updates regularly with the most up-to-date calculated Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) for each station, based on the air pollutants measured at that station.

If a station is grey , there may be an instrument or communication issue associated with it or it may be undergoing planned maintenance/upgrade.

If a station is blue , it means that it is a non-automated station and data will only be available following laboratory analysis. (There are only 2 of these stations.)

The diamond-shaped markers on the map relate to the Local Monitoring Network. These give an indication of air quality. The tab to turn the Local Network layer on/off is in the top left corner of the map.

The Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) ranks the amount of pollutant in the air on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 (light green) being the cleanest air and 10 (purple) being the most polluted. More information on the AQIH is available here.

The Hourly Updated AQIH map is presented together with the Monitoring Station Map and shows the modelled AQIH based on a 3km-by-3km grid covering the whole country.

To note: The AQIH colour at each station may not directly match the surrounding map for a number of reasons, these include:

• The air pollutant concentrations are updated three times an hour versus the hourly updated AQIH map.
• The time required to compile data of all pollutants, from all sites and computer modelling time required to produce the maps.
• Not every station measures all air pollutants used to calculate the AQIH map.
• Air pollutants are measured at a station location, whilst modelled values are spread over a 3km squared area.

The Air Quality Forecast Maps predict the daily air quality based on the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) for up to 3 days (today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow).

Daily concentrations of particulate matter (PM₁₀ & PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) also presented correspond to a point on the AQIH scale. Use the dropdown menu to navigate to each map.

These maps are updated twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. Maps should be updated by 9:30 am and 7:30 pm each day.

The Hourly Updated AQIH Map is generated using a rolling average for the previous 24-hours for particulate matter (PM10 & PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and the previous 8-hours for ozone (O3). The Forecast AQIH Maps are the predicted air pollutant concentrations, averaged over 24-hours for today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The Hourly Updated AQIH Map is calculated on an hourly basis, whilst the Forecast AQIH Maps are calculated twice daily.

The hourly updated Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) map is typically available approximately 30 minutes after each hour. The time presented in the text box in the top left of the map highlights the most recent data used to compile the model. For example, the AQIH values for 15:00 will be updated by 15:30. This time is required to compile data of all pollutants, from all sites and computer modelling time required to produce the maps.

The daily forecasts are updated twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. Maps are typically available by 9:30 am and 7:30 pm each day. The time each pollutant/AQIH map is generated is presented in the text box in the top left of the map window.