These guidelines cover manual Quality Control (QC) of MAAP (Multiangle Absorption Photometer) data.The manual data QC is performed on the level 0 data, i.e. the raw data output, augmented with essential discovery and use metadata, and brought to a standardised data format. For the purpose of manual QC, temporary level 1 and 2 data versions are produced from the initial level 0 version. When perfor...

These guidelines cover manual Quality Control (QC) of AE33 absorption photometer data.The manual data QC is performed on the level 0 data, i.e. the raw data output, augmented with essential discovery and use metadata, and brought to a standardised data format. For the purpose of manual QC, temporary level 1 and 2 data versions are produced from the initial level 0 version. When performing manual Q...

Black carbon (BC) is increasingly discussed in science and environmental policy areas as an example of an air pollutant that affects both human health and contributes to climate change (e.g. WHO, 2012; UNEP/WMO, 2011; Bond et al., 2013; IPCC, 2013). In order to be able to make comparable measurements of BC in ambient air and to relate BC monitoring to health impacts and climate change it is import...

Measuring the chemical composition of airborne particulate matter (PM) can provide valuable information on the concentration of regulated toxic metals, support modelling approaches for source detection and assist in the identification and validation of abatement techniques. Undertaking these at a high time resolution (1 h or less) enables receptor modelling techniques to be more robustly linked to...

Ammonia (NH3) in the atmosphere affects both the environment and human health. It is therefore increasingly recognised by policy makers as an important air pollutant that needs to be mitigated, though it still remains unregulated in many countries. In order to understand the effectiveness of abatement strategies, routine NH3 monitoring is required. Current reference protocols, first developed in t...

This webpage provides a summary of techniques and standards to monitor ambient air recommended by the UK Environment Agency for the following pollutants:Ammonia and ammonium aerosolAsbestosBenzeneBioaerosolsCarbon disulfideCarbon monoxideDioxins and furansDioxin-like polychlorinated biphenylsElemental and organic carbon in particulate matterFormaldehyde and other aldehydesHalogenated volatile orga...

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a component of air pollution that includes a complex mixture of hundreds of carbon-containing gases. VOCs are noteworthy substances in the perspective of achieving co-control of PM2.5 and ozone, as VOCs are common precursors of both. In addition, apart from other substances, VOCs monitoring is much more complex than other air pollutants as it consists of more ...

Low-cost sensors enable finer-scale spatiotemporal measurements within the existing methane (CH4) monitoring infrastructure and could help cities mitigate CH4 emissions to meet their climate goals. While initial studies of low-cost CH4 sensors have shown potential for effective CH4 measurement at ambient concentrations, sensor deployment remains limited due to questions about interferences and cal...

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the UK has been decreasing in the last few decades but remains the leading environmental health risk. As a consequence of changing population, behaviour, activity factors, emissions and regulation, it is likely that the sources of PM2.5 in the UK are changing but a quantitative source apportionment has not been reported for many years. This s...

This document provides recommendations for the use of Time of Flight Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (TOF-ACSM) developed by Aerodyne Research Inc. (ARI) and TOFWERK AG for the measurement of the chemical composition of non-refractory submicron particles (NR-PM1), and more recently of non-refractory particles with aerodynamic diameter below 2,5 µm (NR-PM2.5). The reader is strongly encouraged...