These Topics are for the Ambient air quality section of the Atmosphere theme.

Topics for Climate

Ambient air quality

Pollution types

Pollutants occur as gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and VOCs such as benzene and formaldehyde) and PM. In air pollution, PM refers to solid and liquid particles suspended in air, and the PM and air mixture is referred to as aerosol.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Ambient air quality

Pollution sources

Pollution sources are often characterised as anthropogenic (i.e. human-made), biogenic (i.e. natural and living) or geogenic (i.e. natural and nonliving).
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Greater MelbourneGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Increasing population

Globally, just over 50 per cent of the world’s population lives in cities; in Australia, it is 90 per cent.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Greater MelbourneGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Industry

Traditional major industry is in decline in Australia, and this has produced a corresponding decrease in many emissions to air.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Murray Darling
Ambient air quality

Motor vehicles

Motor vehicles emit a wide range of pollutants from their tailpipes, and are a major source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (e.g. Figure ATM30).
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Ambient air quality

Domestic wood heaters

Emissions from domestic wood heaters—particularly smoke, but also VOCs—remain a significant pressure on ambient air quality during cooler months of the year in several parts of Australia.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Murray DarlingTasmaniaAustralian Capital TerritoryEast CoastGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Commercial and other domestic sources

Emissions from commercial and domestic sources (domestic wood heaters are considered separately) exert pressure on local air quality and on airshed quality. Domestic sources, for example, can affect photochemical smog by releasing VOCs.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Ambient air quality

Prescribed burning and bushfires

Both prescribed burns and bushfires emit smoke plumes, which are visible because of the PM they contain. The smoke is the product of incomplete combustion. Fire emissions rates are affected by fire behaviour and the amount of fuel being burned.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Ambient air quality

Nonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transport

Nonroad diesel engines and equipment are used in a wide variety of applications, including rail transport, mining, construction, industrial, shipping and airport services, and can be high pollution emitters.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Murray DarlingGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Climate change

Climate change may also have a significant effect on air pollution.
2016
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Keywood MD, Emmerson KM, Hibberd MF (2016). Ambient air quality: Topics. In: Australia state of the environment 2016, Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra, https://soe.environment.gov.au/theme/ambient-air-quality/topics?framework=106, DOI 10.4226/94/58b65c70bc372