Birmingham Air Quality Supersite (BAQS) - University of Birmingham

The Birmingham Air Quality Supersite (BAQS) is a highly advanced air quality monitoring station at the University of Birmingham.

Its location (52°27'19.8"N 1°55'44.3"W) and suite of state-of-the-art instruments make BAQS ideal for long-term, urban air-quality monitoring in greater detail than is possible at standard monitoring sites. BAQS, alongside its counterparts in London and Manchester, make up the UK Air Quality Supersite network funded originally by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; part of UKRI), and currently supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency.

Measurements at BAQS fall into three categories, meteorology, trace gases, and aerosols. These measurements enable comprehensive research into complex atmospheric processes, local atmospheric composition, pollution sources and temporal changes in air quality, with significant implications for the environment, vegetation and public health.

Trace Gases

Parameters Measured		Instrument
O₃	Concentration	Thermo Scientific model 49i
NO₂	Concentration	Teledyne API 500U
NO, NOy	Concentration	Teledyne API 200U
SO₂	Concentration	Teledyne API 100U
NH₃	Concentration	ABB-LGR GLA331 EAA
CO, CO₂, CH₄	Concentration	ABB-LGR GLA331 MCEA1
VOCs	Detection and quantification	Agilent Technologies 7890B GC

Aerosol particles

Parameters Measured		Instrument
Black Carbon (and brown carbon)	Mass concentration	Magee Scientific Aethalometer AE33
PM10 and PM 2.5	Total carbon content	Magee Scientific TCA08
PM10and PM2.5	Elemental analysis	Cooper Xact 625i
Non-refractory PM1	Particle mass and chemical composition (Organics, sulphate, nitrate, chloride and ammonium)	Aerodyne Quadropole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (Q-ACSM)
PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10	Particle size distribution and mass concentration	Palas Fidas 200E
PM1	Particle size distribution	TSI 3938 SMPS
PM1	Particle number concentration	TSI 3750-10 CPC
PM10, PM2.5	Mass concentration	BAM 1020
PM10, PM2.5	Mass concentration	SEQ47-50

Meteorology

Parameters Measured	Instrument
Wind Speed and direction	Gill WindMaster 3D Sonic Anemometer
Solar radiation (Light intensity per wavelength)	Ocean Optics Flame Miniature Spectrometer
Cloud base layer height, aerosol profiles in multiple layers, cloud cover, vertical visibility.	Lufft Ceilometer CHM 8k
Ambient temperature and pressure and relative humidity	Palas Fidas 200E

PM mass concentration and Black Carbon analyser
Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM)
Particle number concentration and size distribution instruments
Total Carbon and VOC instruments
PM elemental composition

Research and Collaborations

BAQS plays a key role in research projects at the University of Birmingham and in the wider research and academic communities across the UK and beyond. It directly supports studies of air pollution and human health and generates data which can be used to promote understanding of the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere and air pollution.

Find out more about the initiatives BAQS has been involved in:

Support

Operation of BAQS is led by the University of Birmingham and supported by NERC through the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), Defra and the Environment Agency.

Academic Lead: Professor Roy Harrison

Contact

For further information, collaborations and access to data and the site please contact:

Dr David Beddows: d.c.beddows@bham.ac.uk