Reports » London Air Quality Network Report 13
Title: London Air Quality Network Report 13  Author(s): Gary Fuller and Louise Meston  Date Published: 11/02/2008
The 13th annual report of the London Air Quality Network spans both 2005 and 2006 providing detailed results of measurements in 2005 and outlining the pollution changes during 2006.

During 2005 Air Quality Strategy (AQS) Objectives for NO2, O3 and PM10 were exceeded throughout London. The annual mean AQS Objective for NO2 was exceeded at all kerb and roadside monitoring sites except Thurrock 3. The annual mean NO2 Objective was also exceeded at inner London background sites and around Heathrow.

Eleven monitoring sites also breached the hourly mean Objective for NO2. The O3 episodes experienced during 2003 were not repeated during 2005. The AQS Objective was, however, exceeded at suburban and background sites throughout the Home Counties and in outer London with the exception of Ealing 1 and Hillingdon AURN. The greatest PM10 concentrations in London were measured at sites in residential streets close to waste facilities. These sites exceeded the AQS Objective by a wide margin. The AQS Objective for PM10 was also exceeded at monitoring sites alongside major trunk roads. A total of 13 sites breached the EU Limit Value for PM10.

During 2005 there was little change in annual mean concentrations in London; changes in the LAQN index value for all pollutants were within the range of +/-3%. However, provisional results for 2006 indicate an increase of 19% in the annual mean index for O3 and a further increase of 3% in annual mean PM10. The annual mean indices for CO, NO2, NOX and SO2 all decreased during 2006.

Considering the longer-term perspective, from November 1996 to the end of 2005, the LAQN annual mean index reduced for all pollutants except O3; the annual mean concentrations of O3 showed a substantial increase during the period from November 1996 to the end of 2005 (+37%) and provisional measurements from 2006 suggested a further substantial increase during the year. The annual mean index for PM10 reached a minimum during 2000 and provisional results from 2006 suggest an increase of 8% since this time. During 2003 London experienced a series of prolonged PM10 episodes during the spring and summer and as a consequence many roadside sites exceeded the EU Limit Value. Despite an absence of such prolonged episodes during 2006, provisional measurements suggest that roadside PM10 concentrations during the year were similar to those measured during 2003.

During 2005 the LAQN continued to grow and adapt. Eleven new monitoring sites joined the network and additional equipment was installed at several sites.
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