Here’s where they get that data for the air quality health index | 24CA News
Robert Chrobak unlocks a black gate encircling a brightly colored sea container in a neighbourhood of St. Albert, exterior Edmonton.
“This is the St. Albert air monitoring station,” says Chrobak, operations supervisor with Alberta Capital Airshed.
“This works by collecting daily instantaneous samples that go through different analyzers that measure different pollutants.”
Chrobak factors to consumption pipes protruding of the highest of the constructing, which is close to Holy Family Catholic School. The station measures issues like wind velocity and path together with relative humidity, temperature and particulate.
During wildfire season, particulate matter is “probably the most important” air pollutant the group displays, says Chrobak, pointing to a sampling head for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller.
Such nice particles may be trapped within the airways and lungs, and are believed to trigger antagonistic well being results. They additionally cut back visibility.
AQHI numbers are posted to the Alberta Capital Airshed web site in actual time, and shared with companions like Environment and Climate Change Canada for its Air Quality Health Index forecasting.
Learn extra concerning the not-for-profit group Alberta Capital Airshed and the info they acquire for the air high quality well being index.
You can see extra about air high quality, wildfire and smoke on a particular version of Our Edmonton on Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at midday and 11 a.m. Monday on CBC TV and CBC Gem.
Alberta Capital Airshed is a not-for-profit group that displays, collects and shares info on air high quality with the general public.
It presently has 5 steady monitoring stations within the capital area, and plans so as to add two extra by the tip of this 12 months. They price about $350,000 every stated Gary Redmond, Alberta Capital Airshed’s govt director.
The group additionally has about 40 nice particulate matter sensors and 15 passive monitoring websites to assist spherical out the info within the capital area.
Alberta Capital Airshed is one in every of 10 airsheds in Alberta that collectively function 88 stations throughout the province in a system courting again to the Nineties.
Redmond predicts we’ll want much more air high quality monitoring stations transferring ahead.
“We breathe every second of every day so air is critical.”
A brand new air high quality monitoring station on wheels is the most recent piece of kit to be deployed this wildfire season.
“What it means is it will be able to do some high quality continuous air quality monitoring in communities that don’t have a permanent station already there,” Kusiek stated.
She says the group usually responds to questions from the general public about air high quality by means of its web site. It additionally hosts common clean-air webinars and conferences.
“I think the smoky skies get people really interested in the air quality that they are breathing.”
