Sakon Nakhon air quality map

What information is available on the air pollution map for Sakon Nakhon?

The air pollution map for Sakon Nakhon is accessed from the main city page by selecting the “See on map” box. Once selected, a new page will open which is dedicated to the particular area. The first thing to notice is the overall background colour of the map. At the moment it is a greenish-yellow which classifies the air quality as being “Good” to “Moderate”. The full meaning of the various colours is explained in the legend at the bottom of the screen. The colours range from pale green for good quality air to a dark maroon colour which represents hazardous air quality.

There is a coloured disc over the city which is also coloured yellow as these colours are used throughout the entire IQAir website as standardisation. If selected, a new page will open which is dedicated to the area of the city where the monitoring station is located. The number which can be seen on the disc is the US AQI number which is encouraged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and used as a benchmark when comparing air quality in other cities. It is calculated by measuring the levels of up to six of the most prolific pollutants. In June 2022 the US AQI reading was 53 which indicated “Moderate” air quality. The main pollutant was PM2.5 with a level of 13 µg/m³. The target level recommended by the WHO is 5 µg/m³, so this figure is over twice that recommendation.

On the left-hand side of the screen will be seen four options which can be individually disabled, if desired. The first choice reveals the location of the ground-level monitoring stations which are shown as the coloured discs on the map. The second option shows the position of any fires that may be burning in the vicinity whose smoke might affect the air quality over the city.

The third choice will remove the background colour of the map which might make it easier to understand as the colours are more natural to be seen on a map. The last option is the direction the wind is blowing which gives a good indication if smoke from any fires will affect your area.

Is any other information to be had from the air pollution map for Sakon Nakhon?

Ideally, both the city page and the air quality map page should be looked at together when a lot of interesting information about air quality will be seen.

On the right-hand side of the map can be seen a table which ranks world cities according to the cleanliness of their air quality. This can be interesting when comparing other cities to your home city.

Directly beneath the air pollution map for Sakon Nakhon can be seen the number of stations there are that provide the data and who are the contributors. In June 2022, the main contributor was the government and the main station that provided the data was the Provincial Office for Natural Resources and Environment Sakon Nakhon. These stations have followers who will be notified of any significant change in circumstances.

On the main city page can be seen a brief weather forecast showing the temperature, humidity, wind speed and air pressure, followed by the air quality index (AQI) forecast for the next few days. This can be useful if you are planning to travel shortly.

A table ranking other Thai cities can be seen further down the page which can be used in comparison with Sakon Nakhon.

Can the source of air pollution be seen on the air quality map for Sakon Nakhon?

The only way to see where the highly polluted areas are is to look at the numbers on the discs because the higher the number, the worse the air quality.

Thailand has agricultural crops planted in all regions of the country. Some farmers focus on increasing their yields, thereby accelerating the production of cash crops to achieve several cycles per year by lack of good management and chose to use the method of burning agricultural waste instead of other methods because it is an easy, convenient, fast, low-cost way, especially burning sugarcane leaves, stubble, rice straw and maize stubble.

Burning in those farmland areas is an obvious source of smoke and dust, especially during the post-harvest period and the preparation of the planting area. Flames are often seen spreading in the fields. Dust and soot spread all over the area which the Pollution Control Department states that it is burning in agricultural areas causing PM2.5 dust, accounting for 5 per cent of the total amount of PM2.5 that occurs. Other sources include cars and traffic, 72.5 per cent, industrial plants, 17 per cent and some other sources.

Many farmers do not have the expensive equipment to finely chop the leaves so they can be ploughed back into the soil. It is easier and far cheaper to burn them. Many leaves and stems still have pesticide residue on them which is transmitted into the atmosphere when the dry leaves are burned. There are many ways that rice straw can be used instead of being burned but the fact remains that it is cheaper to set fire to it than process it.

PM2.5 is often mentioned on the air pollution map for Sakon Nakhon, but what is it?

When pollution caused by the combustion of solid fuels or resulting from the operation of internal combustion engines, floats in the air, they reach our lungs with every breath. PM2.5 are suspended dusts, the diameter of which does not exceed 2.5 micrometres. It is they that enter the bloodstream and can cause a number of serious diseases. PM10 are dusts whose diameter does not exceed 10 micrometres - their negative impact is most quickly visible in the form of respiratory tract irritation.

Air pollution is particularly unfavourable for the elderly and children. Pregnant women, patients with asthma, and diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems are also at increased risk. The risk of adverse effects is dependent on the chemicals contained within the dust, the state of your current health and the length of time exposed to the polluted air.