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 (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)
  Sulphur dioxide is a corrosive, acidic gas which combines with water vapour in the atmosphere to produce acid rain. Both wet and dry deposition have been implicated in the damage and destruction of vegetation and in the degradation of soils, building materials and watercourses. SO₂ in ambient air is also associated with asthma and chronic bronchitis.

T

• TEOM
• TOMPS
• Trajectory Model

V

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Z

• Zones and Agglomerations