Eye in the sky monitors pollution levels

Leicester University physicists used their air quality measuring spectrometer to produce “heatmap” style images of pollution levels in Leicester as part of the Airborne Air Quality Mapper (AAQM) project.

The images show how levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) vary around the city, revealing the differences in air quality between green, wooded areas and busy road junctions and areas of industry.

The university believes the results could help draw attention to polluted areas and help inform future environmental planning decisions.

NO₂ comes primarily from traffic emissions in urban environments and can cause health problems including increased risk of respiratory illnesses such as heart attacks and bronchitis.

The European Commission is pressing the UK government to find a solution to NO₂ in large cities across the country. Large fines may be imposed and new legislation allows these to be passeddown to Councils which don’t take urgent action to improve their air quality.

While Leicester is not among the worst-affected cities, the city’s council is said to be in the forefront of developing local and national solutions to this problem through work with Leicester University and DEFRA.  The aim is to develop smart traffic management schemes and reduce vehicle emissions.