This year, parts of the U.S. experienced days-long stretches of smoky skies despite being hundreds of miles away from the wildfires. Similar events occurred around the world, from Europe to Asia, illustrating an example of how air quality challenges are not confined to a single region or source.
While wildfire smoke is a highly visible example of poor air quality, communities also contend with pollution from traffic, industry, dust storms, and seasonal allergens like pollen. Weather plays a central role in all of these cases, shaping how pollutants travel, disperse, and linger in the atmosphere. These conditions directly affect local air quality, creating health risks for residents, particularly those with respiratory sensitivities such as asthma.
While forecasts tell us where pollutants are expected to travel, real-time weather and air quality observations tell us what’s actually happening right now. Real-time data is crucial because it provides localized insights. Combining local real-time weather and air quality observations helps agencies and communities make informed decisions, whether that’s issuing a health advisory, rescheduling outdoor events, or taking precautions during a smoke event.
Understanding Air Quality and Where to Get Measurements
Upper air winds move pollutants quickly from one region to another. When a temperature inversion forms, smog can get trapped near the surface. High humidity can make air feel heavier and worsen respiratory irritation, while rain can sometimes help clear particulates from the atmosphere. These interactions between weather and air quality determine how communities experience day-to-day conditions and whether those conditions are safe.
Thankfully, there are ground-based weather stations around the world that measure air quality, winds, humidity, and other parameters to help us better understand conditions at the surface. Ambios, a private network of decentralized weather stations available on the Synoptic platform, is expanding access to high-quality air quality data.
Ambios collects detailed measurements of particulate matter and weather parameters that influence how those particles behave, such as wind, humidity, and temperature. Its newest supported device, the AirGradient Open Air monitor, makes air quality sensing more accessible and meaningful, capturing hyperlocal pollution events and giving data users the insight they need to respond when conditions change.
Bringing It All Together on the Synoptic Platform
With Ambios’s data integrated into the Synoptic platform, subscribers can explore air quality measurements from the Ambios network alongside thousands of other real-time observations. Viewing particulate measurements from the Ambios network, together with variables from other other local networks, such as additional wind speed, direction, and humidity data, helps users closely monitor local conditions and see what’s trending.
Whether it’s identifying wind shifts that will carry pollutants out of the region, or seeing that PM2.5 or PM10 levels are improving, tracking local data from a variety of networks gives forecasters and local agencies the clarity they need to respond effectively. With integrated air quality data from Ambios on the Synoptic platform, users can better understand when air quality will worsen or improve, and issue health advisories accordingly.
Learn More
Synoptic and Ambios are connecting users with data, a shared mission to empower users to make better, faster decisions for public safety, research, and community resilience.
🔗 Explore the Ambios network on the Synoptic Data Platform (see the last 7 days of data)
🔗 Learn more about Ambios