https://goo.gl/u41vRu
A series of hyper-local pollution maps have revealed how air quality can vary drastically across even the smallest of distances.
Using Google Street View cars, engineering researchers at The University of Texas at Austin developed a proof-of-concept that let them analyse pollution levels on a block-by-block basis in Oakland, California. Not only do the results show the differing levels across a relatively small area, they can also help plug the gaps currently seen with traditional air monitoring equipment.
The research team was led by professor Joshua Apte from the Cockrell School of Engineering assistant with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Google and environmental sensor experts at Aclima. Aclima's sensor system was fitted to Google's cars and was used to map air pollution across 78 square miles of Oakland over the course of a year. The research is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
It mapped urban air pollution at 100,000 times greater spatial resolution than is possible with traditional government air quality monitors. For example, most large urban areas have only one air quality monitor for every 100 to 200 square miles. The UT Austin team's method maps air pollution every 100 feet. In a number of locations, the Google cars system measured air pollution levels that were several times higher than at Oakland's official monitors.
In their analysis, the researchers identified hotspots where pollution on a single block was consistently higher than elsewhere in a neighbourhood. These pollution hotspots, unsurprisingly, included the port, busy intersections, restaurants, warehouses, industrial plants and vehicle dealerships.
"What surprised us is that there are consistently locations that can be as much as six times more polluted on one end of the block than on the other," said Kyle Messier, a UT Austin postdoctoral fellow and a co-author of the study. "Among other things, this demonstrates that people are getting disproportionate exposures of unhealthy air at some locations."