UK Air Quality Monitoring Networks

Welcome to the Monitoring Networks home page!

There are over 1500 monitoring sites across the UK which monitor air quality and these are organised into networks that gather a particular kind of information, using a particular method. The pollutants measured and method used by each network depend on the reason for setting up the network, and what the data is to be used for. There are two major types - automatic and non-automatic networks. There are currently 4 automatic networks and 11 non-automatic networks, funded by Defra and the Devolved Administrations, across the UK.

The table on the right give links to the individual monitoring network's home pages where you can find more detailed information and download data.

For further background information check out the following links:

• Monitoring Networks: A Brief History
• Monitoring Networks: Current Situation

Automatic Networks

• Automatic Urban Network
• Automatic Rural Network
• Automatic Hydrocarbon Network
• Automatic London Network

• Click here to view all the automatic sites and download yearly data
• Click here to view the monitoring site environment type

Non-Automatic Networks

• Acid Deposition
• Acid Waters
• Ammonia
• UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Networks
• Nitric Acid- part of Acid Deposition network
• Nitrogen Dioxide Diffusion Tube (1993 to 2005)
• Rural Nitrogen Dioxide - part of Acid Deposition network
• Rural Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphate
• Smoke and Sulphur Dioxide
• Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants
• Non-Automatic Hydrocarbon Network
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons