Extract:

Summary

On 27 July 2023, the Queen Street site recorded one exceedance of the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality (NESAQ) for particulate matter (PM₁₀). Our investigation indicates that this exceedance was most likely caused by the various construction activities in the city centre. As in the previous year, the highest concentrations of both PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were recorded at the city centre Queen Street site. The dust generated by the ongoing construction activities in the city centre is a primary factor.

As expected, the city centre sites have also recorded the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations. The average NO₂ concentration recorded within the first seven months of this year at the Queen Street site is 47% higher than the same period of the previous year. Increased traffic volume is the likely cause. During the first quarter of the year, Auckland Transport's data on traffic volume at the City Centre Screenline intersections indicates an 18% increase in monthly traffic volume compared to the previous year.

It is important to note that air quality at a monitoring site can vary from year to year due to weather and other influences (See Auckland air quality report, October 2021. For a brief short-term trend analysis of key pollutants concentration changes, please see Table 2.

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Where to view our data

Data can be viewed on the environmental data portal, the LAWA website LAWA or requested from environmentaldata@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Full state and trends analyses and reports are prepared every few years (the most recent report is Trends in Auckland’s air quality 2006-2018).

The 2022 Annual data report is available on the Knowledge Auckland website.

See also, the frequently asked questions about the Auckland air quality monitoring programme.

This edition includes a focus on the Henderson air quality monitoring site.

Auckland Council, August 2023

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