Air pollution monitoring: MARGA Network
How to get air pollution data from the MARGA Network, which monitors aerosols and gases in ambient air.
The MARGA Network helps us understand how the long-range transport of air pollution forms particulate matter in urban areas.
It is part of the UK Eutrophying and Acidifying Atmospheric Pollutants (UKEAP) Network that monitors long-term pollutant trends in rural and remote locations.
The MARGA Network monitors aerosols and gases in ambient air at 3 stations, although only 2 are currently active:
- Auchencorth Moss in Midlothian, Scotland
- Chilbolton Observatory in Hampshire, England
Both these stations are rural background sites away from significant sources of air pollution.
Pollutants the MARGA Network measures
The MARGA Network measures:
- nitric oxide
- nitrogen dioxide
- calcium in PM10
- chloride in PM10
- potassium in PM10
- magnesium in PM10
- sodium in PM10
- ammonium in PM10
- nitrate in PM10
- sulphate in PM10
- calcium in PM2.5
- chloride in PM2.5
- potassium in PM2.5
- magnesium in PM2.5
- sodium in PM2.5
- ammonium in PM2.5
- nitrate in PM2.5
- sulphate in PM2.5
- gaseous hydrochloric acid
- gaseous nitrous acid
- gaseous nitric acid
- gaseous ammonia
- gaseous sulphur dioxide
How the MARGA Network measures data
The MARGA Network uses diffusion tubes to collect data. Each tube has a wind protection cap to prevent the samples being affected by wind.
The diffusion tubes are collected by hand every month and sent to a laboratory for analysis.
MARGA Network start date
The MARGA Network started on 17 February 2009.