Air quality is a complex phenomenon driven by a variety of chemical processes and atmospheric conditions. This tool allows you to explore these complexities using authentic data from the U.S. EPA's Air Quality System (AQS).
By using this plugin, you will move beyond simple labels of "good" or "bad" air to understand the mechanisms behind different types of pollution. You can explore how pollutants like Ozone and Particulate Matter behave across different times of day, seasons, and geographic locations.
I: Credentials – Securely connect to the EPA's validated data infrastructure.
II: Location & Date – Set the spatial and temporal boundaries for your investigation.
III: Fetch Data – Select specific pollutants to see their unique "signatures" across days or weeks.
IV: AQI Calculator – Learn how complex concentration data is modeled into a single "public health" risk index.
V: Neighbors – Compare nearby sites to investigate how local features (like freeways or coastal breezes) impact air quality.
Developed as part of NSF Grant 2445609 to support data analysis and mechanistic reasoning in science education.
Enter your AQS API credentials. You can register at epa.gov.
This section will calculate composite AQI from multiple pollutants if available at a site.
Compare mean concentrations between sites in the bounding box.