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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

UK AIR

Air Information Resource

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Glossary

This glossary provides definitions of common terms used in the context of air pollution.

You can navigate quickly to a term using the alphabetic links below; clicking on the terms will show their definition.

Glossary 

  • 0-9
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • V
  • Z


0-9

  • 1,3-Butadiene (C4H6)

A

  • Acid Deposition
  • Acid Rain
  • Air Pollution Bandings
  • Air Pollution Bulletins
  • Air Pollution Index
  • Air Pollution Information Service
  • Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)
  • Air Quality Objectives
  • Air Quality Standards
  • Air Quality Strategy
  • Ambient Air
  • Annual Mean
  • Automatic Monitoring

B

  • BAM (Beta Attenuation Mass Monitor)
  • Benzene (C6H6)
  • Black Smoke

C

  • Carbon Monoxide (CO)
  • COMEAP

D

  • Data Capture
  • Days with Exceedences
  • Deposition
  • Diffusion Tube Samplers
  • Dispersion model

E

  • EMEP (Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-Range Transmission ofAir pollutants in Europe)
  • Emission Factor
  • Emission Inventories
  • EPAQS
  • EU Directives
  • Exceedence

F

  • FDMS

G

  • Global Warming
  • Gravimetric Equivalent PM10 Data
  • Greenhouse Gases

H

  • Hydrocarbons

L

  • Local Air Quality Action Plan
  • Local Air Quality Management (LAQM)

M

  • Maximum hourly average
  • Microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3)

N

  • National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI).
  • National Statistics

O

  • Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX)
  • Ozone (O3)

P

  • PAHs
  • Particulate matter (PM)
  • Parts per billion, ppb
  • Parts per million, ppm
  • Percentile
  • POPs

R

  • Running mean

S

  • Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)

T

  • TEOM
  • TOMPS
  • Trajectory Model

V

  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Z

  • Zones and Agglomerations
  • About Air Pollution

  • England Fine Particulate Matter Targets
  • PM2.5 Targets: Interim Planning Guidance
  • PM2.5 targets monitoring site requirements
  • UK Air Quality Policy Context
  • UK Air Quality Limits
  • Daily Air Quality Index
  • Effects of air pollution
  • Causes of air pollution
  • Glossary
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • You may also be interested in...

  • National atmospheric emissions inventory (NAEI)
  • Local air quality management (LAQM)

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