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
  Monitoring is usually termed "automatic" or "continuous" if it produces real-time measurements of pollutant concentrations. Automatic fixed point monitoring methods exist for a number of pollutants, providing high resolution data averaged over very short time periods. BAM, TEOM and FDMS instruments are all automatic monitors.

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 (NO_X)
• 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