QA/QC of Scottish Air Quality Data

Ken Stevenson

Project Overview

Aim :• To have all of the air quality data collected in Scotland in one

accessible website

Duration:• 3-year contract

Key elements:• Data from National Network and LA sites in Scotland• All quality assured to same standard• Data available via open access website• Long-term trend analysis• Mapping of pollutants throughout Scotland• Newsletter and Annual Report• Annual Seminar

QA/QC of Scottish sites

Current Situation –

Total 60 Sites on Scottish website (up from 44 in 2007)

• 32 sites operated under this project

• 15 AURN

• 13 funded by LAs or Scottish Grant Scheme

Additional sites to be added

5 sites temporily closed for relocation or roadworks• Fife Cupar • Edinburgh Haymarket • Aberdeen Market St • N. Lanarkshire, Harthill • N Lanarkshire, Ellis Road

4 sites still to join the database • East Lothian, Mussleburgh North High St – In progress• East Renfrewshire, Clarkston – In progress• Shetland Stanley Hill – telemetry issues• North Ayrshire, Irvine – New site recently installed

This will bring the total to 69 sites on the Scottish Database.

QA/QC

• Daily collection of data from each site• Scaling of data from last calibration results• Daily checking of data• On-going data update as new information becomes available• Site audits• Collection and storage of all calibrations and service records etc• 6-monthly data ratification• “Quality Circle” data review• Update of ratified data to the website• Assistance to LAs where-ever possible

Scottish GovernmentSummer

2008Winter 2008/9 Cal Club

Summer 2008

Winter 2008/9

Aberdeen Anderson Dr Aberdeen Wellington Road Aberdeen Market St Dundee Broughty Ferry Road Aberdeen Union St Dundee Lochee Road Ayr High Street Dundee Mains Loan East Ayrshire Kilmarnock Dundee Seagate East Dunbartonshire Bearsden Cross Dundee Union Street East Dunbartonshire Bishopbriggs Cross Dundee Whitehall Street East Dunbartonshire Kirkintilloch Fife Cupar East Lothian Musselburgh Fife Dunfermline Edinburgh Gorgie Road Fife Rosyth Edinburgh Haymarket Perth 1 Edinburgh Queen St Perth 2 Edinburgh Roseburn West Lothian Broxburn Edinburgh St Johns Road West Lothian Uphall Station Falkirk Grangemouth Municipal Centre Falkirk Hope St AURNFalkirk Park St Glasgow Anderston Aberdeen Glasgow Battlefield Road Aberdeen Union St Glasgow FDMS Broomhill Auchencorth Moss Glasgow Byres Road Bush Estate Glasgow Waulkmillglen Reservoir Dumfries Glasgow FDMS Nithsdale Dr Edinburgh St Leonards Glasgow FDMS Abercromby Eskdalemuir Midlothian Dalkieth Fort William Midlothian Pathhead Glasgow Centre North Lanarkshire Chapelhall Glasgow City Chambers North Lanarkshire Coatbridge Ellis Street Glasgow Kerbside North Lanarkshire Croy Grangemouth North Lanarkshire Harthill Inverness North Lanarkshire Motherwell Lerwick North Lanarkshire Wifflet Strath Vaich Renfrewshire Glasgow Airport Renfrewshire Paisley Central Road Renfrewshire Paisley Gordon Street Shetland Stanley Hill South Lanarkshire Whirlies (East Kilbride) West Dunbartonshire Clydebank West Dunbartonshire Glasgow Road West Lothian Linlithgow High St

Site Audits 2008/9

6-monthly site intercalibration and audit

AEA visits every site every 6-months to undertake the

intercalibration and site audit

• Check Analysers• Check Calibration Gases• Site Infrastructure• Local Operator

0401

Problems found at 2008/9 audits• Cylinders:- 4 NO cylinders

1 SO2 Cylinder

• PM Analysers:- 2 Ko out by more than 2.5% (2.8 – 4.8%)

5 Main flows out (12 – 20%) 6 Leak test failed

1 Aux flow out (26%)

• Gas Analysers 1 CO analyser fail leak test

Feedback from site visits

Data RatificationScottish Government

Jan - Jun 2008

Jul - Dec 2008 Cal Club

Jan - Jun 2008

Jul - Dec 2008

Aberdeen Anderson Dr QC 25th Mar Aberdeen Wellington Road No Data QC 25th MarAberdeen Market St QC 25th Mar Dundee Broughty Ferry Road QC 25th MarAberdeen Union St QC 25th Mar Dundee Lochee Road QC 25th MarAyr High Street QC 25th Mar Dundee Mains Loan QC 25th MarEast Ayrshire Kilmarnock No Data QC 25th Mar Dundee Seagate QC 25th MarEast Dunbartonshire Bearsden Cross QC 25th Mar Dundee Union Street QC 25th MarEast Dunbartonshire Bishopbriggs Cross QC 25th Mar Dundee Whitehall Street QC 25th MarEast Dunbartonshire Kirkintilloch QC 25th Mar Fife Cupar QC 25th MarEast Lothian Musselburgh No Data No Data Fife Dunfermline QC 25th MarEdinburgh Gorgie Road Telemetry Issues Fife Rosyth QC 25th MarEdinburgh Haymarket QC 25th Mar Perth 1 QC 25th MarEdinburgh Queen St QC 25th Mar Perth 2 QC 25th MarEdinburgh Roseburn QC 25th Mar West Lothian Broxburn No Data QC 25th MarEdinburgh St Johns Road QC 25th Mar West Lothian Uphall Station No Data QC 25th MarFalkirk Grangemouth Municipal Centre QC 25th MarFalkirk Hope St QC 25th Mar AURNFalkirk Park St QC 25th MarGlasgow Anderston QC 25th Mar Aberdeen QC 16th MarGlasgow Battlefield Road QC 25th Mar Aberdeen Union St QC 16th MarGlasgow FDMS Broomhill QC 25th Mar Auchencorth Moss QC 16th MarGlasgow Byres Road QC 25th Mar Bush Estate QC 16th MarGlasgow Waulkmillglen Reservoir QC 25th Mar Dumfries QC 16th MarGlasgow FDMS Nithsdale Dr QC 25th Mar Edinburgh St Leonards QC 16th MarGlasgow FDMS Abercromby QC 25th Mar Eskdalemuir QC 16th MarMidlothian Dalkieth QC 25th Mar Fort William QC 16th MarMidlothian Pathhead QC 25th Mar Glasgow Centre QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Chapelhall QC 25th Mar Glasgow City Chambers QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Coatbridge Ellis Street

QC 25th Mar Glasgow Kerbside QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Croy QC 25th Mar Grangemouth QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Harthill QC 25th Mar Inverness QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Motherwell QC 25th Mar Lerwick QC 16th MarNorth Lanarkshire Wifflet QC 25th Mar Strath Vaich QC 16th MarRenfrewshire Glasgow Airport QC 25th MarRenfrewshire Paisley Central Road QC 25th MarRenfrewshire Paisley Gordon Street QC 25th MarSouth Lanarkshire Whirlies (East Kilbride) QC 25th MarWest Dunbartonshire Clydebank QC 25th MarWest Dunbartonshire Glasgow Road QC 25th MarWest Lothian Linlithgow High St QC 25th Mar

Example of Data Summary Sheet

Measuring PM

PM10

“Equivalent Analysers”

• Partisol (with emfab filters)• Beta (Met One) unheated, with correction factor• Beta (Opsis SM200) with correction factor• TEOM FDMS (not with C drier)• (TEOM with Volatile Correction Model)

Partisol

Automated sampling device - size-selected particulate matter on filters for later analysis.

Unattended operation for up to two weeks between site visits.

Filters are equilibrated, at 20° C and 50% R.H., for 48 hours - before and again after sampling.

Filters are carefully weighed using precision microbalances.

Concentration is a function of air volume sampled and weight PM of material on filter.

Scottish Government Partisol Monitoring Programme 2007

•PM10 and PM2.5 at 5 sites for 1 year

•Data problems common to all UK Partisol measurements

•High field blank due to moisture

•Worst with Quartz filters – even though these are specified in EU PM10 standard

•Data now corrected and reported

•Data used for PM Mapping in Scotland

•Changed to Emfab filters in AURN

BAM (Beta Attenuation Monitor)

Size-selected particulate matter on filter tape

Analysed by attenuation of Beta rays from Carbon-14 source

Zero from clean filter compared to soiled filter

Algorithm to calculate mass from attenuation

Correction factor may be required for equivalence

FDMS

FDMS Operation Issues

• Filter Changing

• Possible long-term problems with FDMS C system

• Use B or CB type drier

PM10 Monitoring in the Scottish Database

45 monitors in total

• FDMS 12

• BAM 4

• TEOM 29

Conclusions

• QA/QC work is key to everything • Audits and Ratification are a major part of the project work • PM - Partisol issues resolved • FDMS and BAM Equivalent PM analysers being deployed • We strive to support and work closely with LAs –

– respond to requests and enquiries– offer advice– feedback if we see problems with the data– chase for calibrations

• The database is building rapidly2006 – ~20 sites2007 – 44 sites2008 – 60 sites