Pressures affecting ambient air quality

Ambient air quality (2016, 2011)

Pressures affecting ambient air quality

Urban footprint

Increasing population (with concomitant increases in emissions from vehicles, equipment, heating, etc) and increasing urban density place pressure on air quality

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Urban footprint

2016

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Increasing population

Encroachment of urban development into rural fringe

Urban sprawl is moving populations closer to existing industries, including intensive agriculture, wastewater treatment facilities and hobby farms, leading to greater exposure to air pollution (especially odours and wood smoke)

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Encroachment of urban development into rural fringe

2016

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Increasing population

Industry adjacent to regional populations (principally extractive industries such as mining, coal-seam gas)

The development or expansion of these industries in rural or near-rural settings can adversely affect air quality. Both amenity and health impacts exist

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Industry adjacent to regional populations (principally extractive industries such as mining, coal-seam gas)

2016

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Industry

Industrial point sources (metropolitan and regional cities)

Point-source pollution is mostly mitigated by regulations, but there are some legacy issues with old industries

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Comparable

Industrial point sources (metropolitan and regional cities)

20162011

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Industry

Local and airshed-wide impacts on health and aesthetics; localised effects on amenity and health near some major point sources

Year(s):

2011

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Industry

Motor vehicles (metropolitan centres)

Increasing vehicle traffic and greater congestion is a pressure unless counterbalanced by reduced emissions per vehicle. Non-tailpipe emissions such as tyre and brake dust are continuing to increase

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Comparable

Motor vehicles (metropolitan centres)

20162011

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Motor vehicles

Metro-wide direct and indirect impacts of volatile organic compounds, NOx, ozone and particulates; localised impacts near ‘hot spots’ such as heavily trafficked roads in residential areas

Year(s):

2011

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Motor vehicles

Domestic wood heaters

Smoke from domestic wood heaters is a major source of air pollution in many regions during cooler months

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Domestic wood heaters

2016

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Domestic wood heaters

Commercial and other domestic

This assessment summary component has changed from 2011.

Name changed since 2011

The original 2011 summary, grade, trend and confidence levels have been replicated here to assist comparison of changes between reporting cycles.

Domestic and commercial (urban)

Most commercial emissions are regulated by local authorities. Emissions from two-stroke engines used in the gardening and marine sector are unregulated, and are high polluters relative to their engine size and use. They therefore put pressure on urban air quality

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Somewhat adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Comparable

Commercial and other domestic

20162011

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Commercial and other domestic sources

Local and airshed-wide impacts on health and aesthetics

Year(s):

2011

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Commercial and other domestic sources

Prescribed burning and bushfires

This assessment summary component has changed from 2011.

Name changed since 2011 to include bushfires

The original 2011 summary, grade, trend and confidence levels have been replicated here to assist comparison of changes between reporting cycles.

Planned burning

Smoke from planned burns (and, occasionally, bushfires) is a sporadic, major source of air pollution in regional and urban areas

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Comparable

Prescribed burning and bushfires

20162011

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Prescribed burning and bushfires

Widespread evidence of generally localised effects on amenity and health

Year(s):

2011

Unclear

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Prescribed burning and bushfires

Nonregulated diesel engines including shipping and nonroad transport

The lack of national emissions and fuel standards for this equipment (e.g. earth-moving, commercial shipping, rail transport) means that the contribution of these sources is uncertain and potentially significant in some locations

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Somewhat adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Nonregulated diesel engines including shipping and nonroad transport

2016

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Nonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transport

Climate change

This assessment summary component has changed from 2011.

Title changed

The original 2011 summary, grade, trend and confidence levels have been replicated here to assist comparison of changes between reporting cycles.

Climate change (airshed scale)

Rising temperatures and reduced rainfall increases the pressure from wind-blown dust and bushfire smoke. Higher temperatures increase chemical reaction rates leading to, for example, higher ozone levels

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Adequate

Confidence (in trend):

Adequate

Comparability (to previous reports):

Comparable

Climate change

20162011

Ambient air quality

Pressures

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment based on expert opinion using peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports referenced in the 'Pressures' section.

Data/Information sources

See Approach/Process

Comments

Nil.

Topics

Climate change

Higher temperatures will be associated with increased photochemical smog (ozone pollution events), and with an increase in serious particulate pollution events due to more frequent bushfires and dust storms. Both outcomes can be expected to adversely affect health

Year(s):

2011

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Climate change

Assessment Summary Key

Grades

Very low impact

Few or no impacts have been observed, and accepted predictions indicate that future impacts on values
such as health and aesthetics are likely to be minor

Low impact

Impacts on values such as health and aesthetics have already been observed, most often localised

High impact

Significant impacts on values such as health and aesthetics have already been observed, mainly affecting
more sensitive members of the community

Very high impact

Currently, a very serious impact on health and aesthetics for the broader population

Recent Trends

Improving
Stable
Deteriorating
Unclear

Confidence

Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment

Comparability

Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
Not previously assessed

Keywood MD, Emmerson KM, Hibberd MF (2016). Ambient air quality: Pressures affecting ambient air quality . In: Australia state of the environment 2016, Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra, https://soe.environment.gov.au/assessment-summary/ambient-air-quality/pressures-affecting-ambient-air-quality, DOI 10.4226/94/58b65c70bc372

The assessment summaries in State of the Environment reporting provide snapshots of key information, and focus on identifying areas for continued or more concentrated attention on strengthening environmental systems to cope with pressures in the future. Assessment summaries are provided for state and trend, pressures and management responses in each of the themes. The summary text in the assessment tables should be read in conjunction with the explanatory text in each section of the theme chapters.

The authors have indicated the strength of the evidence for assessments with a ‘level of confidence’. If adequate high-quality data were available or consensus was high, confidence is indicated as high. If there were only limited data or consensus to determine grades, confidence is indicated as low. Where data are insufficient to attempt scores, this is also indicated, and the component remains on the list to remind readers that it is still an important aspect of the Australian environment, and that more information is needed to improve our understanding and capacity to respond to environmental challenges.

Pressures affecting ambient air quality