Learn about the Air District’s air monitoring network and activities, including laboratory support, data quality assurance, and pollutant source testing.
Ambient Air Monitoring Network
The Air District operates an ambient air monitoring network of over 30 stations and oversees its repair, maintenance, and quality control. The monitoring network collects local air quality data, which are used for many important purposes, including:
- Determining compliance with state and federal air quality standards.
- Air quality forecasts.
- Clean Air Plan modeling.
- Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit modeling.
- Environmental impact reports.
- Provide information about regional and local air quality and air quality trends.
Sampling projects, such as PM2.5 speciation sampling and short-term studies in specific communities, provide data for air quality plan development, updated regulations, and to further our understanding of air quality in the Bay Area.
Pollutants measured by the monitoring network include:
- Ground-level ozone
- Carbon monoxide
- Nitrogen oxides
- Sulfur dioxide/oxides
- Particulate matter
- Hydrogen sulfide
2014 Air Monitoring Network Plan
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District will release its latest Ambient Air Monitoring Network Report in July 2015. The report describes the District’s air monitoring network for 2014. It also describes the objectives of the monitoring network and lists proposed changes to the network for the next 18 months. The proposed changes may be found in the section titled Proposed Modifications to Network in 2015-2016. It describes the objectives of the monitoring network and proposed changes planned to occur before June 30, 2015.
The next annual Ambient Air Monitoring Network Report is scheduled for release in July 2016.
2014 Annual Network Plan(4 Mb PDF, 166 pgs)
The District solicited comments from the public on proposed changes to the air monitoring network. The public comment period ended June 30, 2015.
Laboratory
The Laboratory provides a variety of monitoring related services and support to Air District departments and activities, including:
- Analyzing samples for potential enforcement action and during and after episodic events (laboratory methods are available in the Manual of Procedures).
- Evaluating, developing, and updating analytical methods.
- Providing technical information for evaluating permits and developing regulatory standards.
- Performing PM2.5 and PM10 gravimetric analysis.
- Performing anion/cation speciation and organic carbon/elemental carbon analysis on PM10 filters.
- Analyzing ambient air for volatile organic compounds and ozone precursor compounds.
Quality Assurance
To ensure the accuracy of data collected through the laboratory, air monitoring and meteorological networks, the Air District validates the data through quality assurance audits. Data generated by the laboratory also require quality assurance review to meet U.S. EPA validation requirements.
Source Testing
The Air District performs source testing to determine whether a pollution source is in compliance with air quality regulations and to provide further information about emission sources. Source test functions include:
- Conducting analytical source tests.
- Conducting performance audits on continuous emissions monitoring and predictive emissions monitoring systems.
- Reviewing and determining suitability of third-party source tests.
- Researching and developing new analytical source test procedures.
- Producing source test data-based engineering studies.
Additional Resources