|
Data Disclaimer
The data on these web pages are preliminary and await review and validation by qualified staff. The data may be revised or invalidated after review. The Department makes every effort to assert the validity and integrity of the data, but data can be affected by equipment malfunctions, technical difficulties, and other unforeseen circumstances.
Click here to view the Online Air
Quality Data
Explanation of Website
Timeliness & Quality of Data.
Always check the time and date of air data. The time displayed represents the start time of the hourly average. For example: 10 a.m. means the hourly average reading from 10 to 11 a.m. They appear in the maps with "Air Quality" in the title in the drop-down list of air quality maps.
This website displays near-time air quality data from specific stationary monitoring stations on a continuous basis in an unedited format. Normally, it takes time to poll the monitoring stations, and data is automatically posted about three (3) hours after collection.
The data is preliminary, has not been reviewed for quality, and is not official. Events may unintentionally skew data temporarily. For example, routine instrument tests may cause spikes in pollutant concentrations, and power or communications to monitoring stations may be interrupted.
Hawaii County.
Station monitoring data is being continuously transmitted on a special basis to Hawaii County for internal emergency use only.
The DOH online air quality data should not be compared to the color-coded advisories from the Hawaii County Civil Defense, which are based on various other factors. The two systems were set up at different times for different purposes.
Reading the website.
Islands covered: Currently only station maps for the islands of Oahu, Maui and Hawaii are being displayed.
Pollutants: Currently, none of the stations monitor for all pollutants.
CO: carbon monoxide
H2S: hydrogen sulfide
NO2: nitrogen dioxide
O3: ozone
PM2.5: fine particulate matter, 2.5 microns (size) or smaller
PM10: particulate matter, 10 micron (size) or smaller
SO2: sulfur dioxide
Pollutant concentrations: These are shown as hourly averages.
ppm: parts per million for carbon monoxide gas
ppb: parts per billion for all other gases
μg/m3: micrograms per cubic meter of air for particulates.
Wind: Some maps display wind direction and speed in numbers.
WD: wind direction, in degrees.
0 = north
90 = east
180 = south
270 = west
WS: wind speed, in miles per hour.
Some maps display wind as vectors. The yellow arrows show wind direction and the arrow length shows wind speed.
Graphs
Station name, pollutant, and concentration unit appear at the top of each monitoring station graph.
The numbers on the vertical axis are the concentration scale. The numbers on the horizontal axis are the hours of the day from 00 to 24, or midnight to midnight. In this 24 hour format, regular “p.m.” hours after noon add 12 (e.g., 1 p.m. = 13).
The graph can be maximized by clicking on the left gray box at the top.
The lack of a red line on any part of a graph means there is no data for that period, or the data is at or near zero.
Time is always stated as Hawaiian Standard Time.
AQI: Air Quality Index, is maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a uniform indicator of the daily air quality and a general guide for the public. Currently, only ozone is displayed on the AQI for Oahu (monitored at the Sand Island station), but other pollutants may be added in the future.
Java is required to view these pages. For a free download, please see:
www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
For more information about air quality and air quality standards, please see:
www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps
For air quality data questions contact he Clean Air Branch at cab@doh.hawaii.gov or (808) 586-4200. For technical questions concerning the data presented on this webpage, contact the Air Surveillance and Analysis Section at airlab@doh.hawaii.gov or (808) 453-6620 (M – F 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
|
