Pollutionwatch: March 2008

March was wet! With above average rainfall across most of the UK there was no way we were going to continue to widespread pollution experienced at the start of the year. However, with the onset of spring and the longer daylight hours we saw the start of the annual ozone season. Moderate concentrations of ozone were reported somewhere on most days. The worst days were the 2nd, 10th, 29th and 30th when more than 10 stations reported targets being broken. The site with most problems throughout the month was Aston Hill - a rural location on the Welsh/English border just west of Birmingham. There was a scattering of problems with particle pollution across the month, with isolated days of moderate concentrations in most parts of the UK. Marylebone Road in London also saw particle concentrations reach "high" on the 5th and "very high" on the 25th - unusual, especially in a month when there were no nitrogen dioxide problems recorded there. Last month saw the launch of a new way to bring about improvements in air quality in England. As part of the local area agreement framework, which sets out priorities for local councils in England, the government has set an "indicator" which will measure an authority's progress in reducing emissions of air pollution (nitrogen oxides and particles) from its own activities. The indicator is matched with a similar one on carbon dioxide that assesses the authorities' performance with regard to climate change.