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Local air quality affects how you live and breathe. KAUST weather makes information about outdoor air quality easy to find and understand. A key tool in this effort is the Air Quality Index (AQI). Cities around the world use AQIs to provide simple information about local air quality.
Air Quality Index (AQI) And How It Works 1
The AQI is a standard approach for monitoring how clean or polluted our local air might be. It aligns with pre-defined ranges of AQI values with potential health effects that some people might experience within a few hours or even days after an air pollution event.
Think of the AQI as a meter stick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality with little or no potential to affect public health, while an AQI value over 300 represents air quality so hazardous that everyone may experience serious effects. An AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to the United States (US) national air quality standard for the pollutant, which is the level the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set to protect public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, outdoor activities may need to be modified (see chart below).
| Air Quality Index(AQI) | Meaning | Recommended Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 50 Good |
Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. | Everyone: It’s a great day to be active outside! |
| 51 to 100 Moderate |
Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. | Unusually sensitive people: Consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. These are signs to take it easy. |
| 101 to 150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |
Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. | Sensitive groups: Reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. It’s OK to be active outside, but take more breaks and do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. |
| 151 to 200 Unhealthy |
Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. | Sensitive groups: Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Move activities indoors or reschedule to a time when air quality is better. |
| 201 to 300 Very Unhealthy |
Health alert: Everyone may experience more serious health effects. | Sensitive groups: Avoid all physical activity outdoors. Move activities indoors or reschedule to a time when air quality is better. |
| 301 and higher Hazardous |
Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. | Sensitive groups: Remain indoors and keep activity levels low. Follow tips for keeping particle levels low indoors (e.g. keep doors and windows closed). |
These recommendations are for the general community.
Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) is a guide that is intended as a communication and a decision-making tool in the event of poor air quality as it relates to outdoor works and activities. Adverse air quality events can occur at any time and can sustain for an unknown period. HSE works with major units within KAUST with outdoor activities to devise AQAP, if your unit has outdoor activities, please contact HSE at hse@kaust.edu.sa..
It is prudent for each unit to follow its AQAP that is department specific which has been developed in close consultation with HSE.
The KAUST AQI is calculated for the following Criteria Pollutants that US EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health:
Based on US EPA guidelines, AQI is calculated for all above listed Criteria Pollutants, such guidance can be found at US EPA website. The highest AQI of all six pollutants is reported as the predominant, or the overall AQI and is updated every 15 minutes. Due to our environmental conditions such as being located in a desert region and proximity to coastal area with sand storms and sea spray aerosols, it is inevitable that particulate matter will be shown as the predominant AQI in most of the time. Depending on the environmental conditions, the reported AQI, or the highest AQI varies and could be any one of the six pollutants listed above.
| Pollutant | Averaging Period |
|---|---|
| PM2.5 | Three hourly with more weight on the current hour* |
| PM10 | Three hourly with more weight on the current hour* |
| NO2 | One Hourly |
| O3 | Eight hourly |
| SO2 | One hourly |
| CO | Eight hourly |
Averaging weighs more heavily on the most current hour, thus mimicking current outdoor conditions and providing community members with a decision making tool.
The following charts indicate live and historical data for particulate matter and gaseous pollutants concentration, as well as AQI.
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PM2.5 Shorter Average – Three hourly with more weight on the current hour |
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PM10 Shorter Average- Three hourly with more weight on the current hou |
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Total AQI – Overall Air Quality Index considering all the pollutants (CO, NO2 SO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10) |
KAUSTs Air Quality Index (AQI) is usually moderate; the AQI is monitored 24/7, and a notification is sent on a regular basis through KAUSTCentral App if poor air quality events are detected.
Poor air quality events are those that fall into AQI levels of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150), Unhealthy (151-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300), and Hazardous (301 and higher). This classification is based on US EPA guidelines, which state that when AQI values are above 100, air quality starts to be unhealthy at first for sensitive groups, and as the AQI level gets higher, air quality then impacts everyone.
To stay informed, please log in to KAUSTCentral App or the HSE website to observe real- time AQI, to see how clean or polluted your outdoor air is and the history of all previous AQI notifications from the past 30 days. For further assistance or to get more information about air quality status over longer periods of time, please email hse@kaust.edu.sa and a member of the team will respond.
Air quality can be defined as the degree to which air is suitable or clean enough for humans, animals, or plants to remain healthy. In other words, it is the composition of the air in terms of how much pollution it contains.
Air quality is something that has always affected humankind over time, regardless of whether we live in a large metropolis or a small village. Adverse health consequences to air pollution can occur as a result of short or long-term exposure. The pollutants with the strongest evidence of health effects are particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Given air quality affects individuals in a population in different ways, some people experience no discomfort during periods of degraded air quality whilst others may experience symptoms such as ear-nose-throat or respiratory irritation. It is always advisable to seek professional medical advice from a doctor if you feel unwell and believe air quality is the cause.
Natural sources of air pollution such as dust are a normal part of everyday life in desert regions of the world, with dust playing a substantial role in causing air pollution in Saudi Arabia.
While natural sources contribute substantially to local air pollution due to dust storms, contribution from human activities are also sources and include:
Generally speaking, the concentration of pollutants vary throughout the year as is the case in other regions of the world, and is highly dependent on local meteorological conditions and distance from pollution sources (e.g. heavy industry). Large portion of pollution in the Middle East is related to dust and particulates due to geographic location of the region and proximity to desert areas.
As reported in the General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection State of the Environment Report 2017, fixed-point monitoring results indicate degraded air quality does exist due to energy generation emissions, population increase, development activities and high per capita energy consumption. Air quality monitoring stations are usually located near major cities or pollution sources (e.g. heavy industry) where pollution concentrations are expected to be higher, with comparison made against control sites or meteorological conditions that are more representative of unpolluted conditions.
If you feel any Health, Safety or Environment concern regarding outdoor ambient air quality, please visit https://hse.kaust.edu.sa and use the Report It function.
Nearcasting is an AQI calculation methodology that KAUST adopted for PM10 and PM2.5 with the main aim of mimicking the current outdoor conditions. This approach will guide community members to make an informed decision about undertaking outdoor activities as it relates to air quality.
KAUST Weather air quality data is sourced from equipment that is located within KAUST and uses monitoring methods that have been evaluated by the United States Environmental Protection Authority (US EPA) for accurately and reliably measuring pollutants in outdoor air. These methods, called Federal Reference Methods (FRMs), are the “gold standard” of air pollution monitoring systems and ensure air quality data collected is gathered in the same manner and are accurate. The IQAir and Purple Air anonymous data sources are not FRMs, but rather once-off, factory calibrated units which are not managed under a regular calibration or maintenance regime. Accuweather data for Thuwal is currently sourced from satellite data interpretation (ie. no physical sensor in the area). In many cases, these websites expressly state that they offer no warranty for the information they display.
Other than the principles and mathematical analysis behind the air quality monitoring method, other important factors such as the scientific grade of the equipment, routine maintenance and the placement of the monitoring devices can result in a significant differences. KAUST Weather equipment is scientific grade that gets regularly maintained and has been sited using industry accepted standards. Some devices that report AQI values, such as Purple Air, state on their website that no regular maintenance is required; harsh climate environments such as those in Saudi Arabia with high temperature, dust, humidity would normally have a detrimental effect on any monitoring equipment without routine maintenance and calibration. Some of the AQI reporting scaIes are also different between various websites, so no apple-to-apple comparison could be made.
Cost is not the determining factor. To foster innovation and advance new technologies, the US EPA also reviews, tests, and approves other methods, called Federal Equivalent Methods (FEMs), which are based on different sampling and/or analyzing technologies than FRMs, but are required to provide the same decision making quality. Approved new methods are formally announced through publication in the U.S Federal Register while approved modifications to existing FRMs and/or FEMs are made available several times a year. To date and despite their popularity, Purple Air sensors do not feature on the US EPA list.
The duration of prolonged exposure is dependent upon individual research studies, but is often a period of several months to several years.
Sensitive groups can include young children, elderly, pregnant people, or those with underlying heart and lung disease.
An activity that increases the heart rate to a level typically associated with cardio training/exercise.
1 AQI information partially adopted from US EPA publication: EPA
2 https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/aqi-technical-assistance-document-sept2018.pdf
