Air Quality Index: Definition & Uses | Study.com

The air quality index (AQI) is a number used to report the quality of the air on any given day: it basically tells you how clean the air is. It measures ... forTeachers forSchools forWorkingScholars® forCollegeCredit Login SignUp Menu forWorkingScholars® forCollegeCredit Plans Plans Courses Courses FindCoursesbySubject Science Math Business Psychology History English SocialScience Humanities Spanish ProfessionalDevelopment ByEducationLevel College HighSchool MiddleSchool TestPrep PopularTests… PopularTests SAT ACT TOEFL GMAT GRE CLEP GED ASVAB RealEstate TeacherCertification… TeacherCertification AEPA CEOE CSET/CBEST FTCE GACE ILTS MTEL MTLE MTTC MoGEA/MEGA NES NYSTCE OAE Praxis RICA TExES VCLA WEST Nursing… NursingTests HESI TEAS NCLEX PAXRN CNE OtherTests… OtherTests AP ASCP ASWB Accuplacer CHSPE CTEL DSST Finance FSA HSPT ISEE MBLEx NCE PERT PHR SHSAT TASC TECEP UExcel Exploreover 4,600 videocourses BrowseAllCourses SAT ACT TOEFL GMAT GRE CLEP GED ASVAB RealEstate AEPA CEOE CSET/CBEST FTCE GACE ILTS MTEL MTLE MTTC MoGEA/MEGA NES NYSTCE OAE Praxis RICA TExES VCLA WEST HESI TEAS NCLEX PAXRN CNE AP ASCP ASWB Accuplacer CHSPE CTEL DSST Finance FSA HSPT ISEE MBLEx NCE PERT PHR SHSAT TASC TECEP UExcel Credit Credit CreditOptions CreditOptions OnlineCollegeCredit HighSchool&GED CertificatesofCompletion HowitWorks TransferCredit TransferCredit AllTransferCredit FindYourSchool CollegeCoursesforCredit TransferringCredit HowItWorks EarnTransferableCredit&GetyourDegreefast Learnmore ContactSupport Copyright Instructor: DavidWood Showbio DavidhastaughtHonorsPhysics,APPhysics,IBPhysicsandgeneralsciencecourses.HehasaMastersinEducation,andaBachelorsinPhysics. Aftercompletingthislesson,youwillbeabletoexplainwhattheairqualityindexis,whatnumbersmeanontheUSscale,andhowtheindexisused.Ashortquizwillfollow. Createanaccount WhatistheAirQualityIndex?Theairqualityindex(AQI)isanumberusedtoreportthequalityoftheaironanygivenday:itbasicallytellsyouhowcleantheairis.Itmeasuresparticlesandchemicalsintheairthataffectpeople'shealth(andignoresthosethatdonot).ThehealtheffectsfromextremepollutioninplaceslikeChinacanbesevere.Theseeffectscanrangefromslightirritations,toreducedendurance,torespiratoryproblems. SmoginNewYorkin1988 DifferentcountrieshavedifferentAQIs,soitisdifficulttocompareonelocationtoanotheronaworldwidescale.Somecountriesaremoresafety-consciousthanothers.TheUnitedStatesusesa500pointscaletoreportairquality.Anyratingbetween0and50isconsideredgood.Ascorebetween51and100indicatesamoderatelevelofhealthconcern.AnAQInumberbetween101and150isconsideredunhealthyforsensitivegroupsliketheelderlyorpeoplewithheartorbreathingproblems.Scoresbetween151and200aredescribedasunhealthy,while201to300isconsideredveryunhealthy.Andfinally,airqualityinthe301to500rangeisdeemedhazardous. TheUSAirQualityIndex Airqualitygenerallydeclinesasthedaygoeson,becausebusinessesandcarsarereleasingincreasingamountsofpollutionastheywork.Airqualitycanvarybytimeofyear,butthisdependsontheexactcountryorcity.Wintercanbeworseinplaceswherelargeamountsoffossilfuelsareburnedforheat,whiletheheatofsummercanactuallyleadtogreaterozonelevelsduetonaturalprocessesthatoccurinpollutedair.Qualityisalsoaffectedbystagnantair,windspeeds,andchemicalreactionsbetweenpollutantsintheair.Iftheairisn'tmovingmuch,forexample,pollutionwon'tdissipateasquickly.TheAQIdoeshavelimitations,however:itonlyrecordscertainchemicals,anddoesn'tdifferentiatebetweenthem.Forexample,theexactmixofpollutantstendstobedifferentinthesummerversusthewinter:carbonmonoxideiscommoninthewinter,whereasozoneiscommoninthesummer.Sinceitisageneralmeasure,theAQIcan'ttellyouhowdangeroustheparticularpollutantspresentonadayhappentobe. Lesson Quiz Course 9.1K views UsesoftheAirQualityIndexThemainuseoftheAirQualityIndexistoprovidewarningstocitizens,keepingtheminformedofthecurrentconditions.Thisisparticularlyimportantforsensitivegroupssuchastheelderly,children,orpeoplewithrespiratoryorheartproblems.Suchpeopleshouldstayindoorswhenairqualityislow.Sometimesauthoritieswillrecommendtheuseofmaskstostopparticlesfromenteringthelungs,orevenpromoteadayofactiontodealwiththeairqualitycrisis.Airqualityindexeshelpprotectthepublicandcanbeusedasdatatoinspirepoliticalaction. ExampleofanAirQualityMap:ThecolorsmatchtheAQItableabove;redistheworst,greenthebest. LessonSummaryAirpollutioncanbedangerousandcausehealthissues,fromirritations,tolostendurance,torespiratoryillnesses.Theairqualityindex(orAQI)isanumberthatrepresentstheamountofpollutioninanareadaybyday,andintheUnitedStatesismeasuredonascalefrom0to500.ManycountrieshavetheirownAQIscales.Airqualityisaffectedbythetimeofday,thetimeofyear,movementoftheair,chemicalreactions,andtheexactcauseofpollutioninalocalarea.Havingfiguresforairqualityallowsgovernmentstoputoutinformationandwarningsfortheircitizens,especiallyvulnerablegroupsliketheelderly,children,orpeoplewithrespiratoryorheartproblems.HavingAQIdatacaneveninspirepoliticalchangeandleadtothedeclarationof'actiondays'todealwiththeproblem. TounlockthislessonyoumustbeaStudy.comMember. Createyouraccount Registertoviewthislesson Areyouastudentorateacher? Iamastudent Iamateacher UnlockYourEducation Seeforyourselfwhy30millionpeopleuseStudy.com BecomeaStudy.commemberandstartlearningnow. BecomeaMember Alreadyamember?LogIn  Back WhatteachersaresayingaboutStudy.com Tryitnow Alreadyregistered? Loginhereforaccess AirQualityIndex:Definition&Uses Starttoday.Tryitnow Science / ScienceFusionEcologyandtheEnvironment:OnlineTextbookHelp ScienceFusionEcologyandtheEnvironment:OnlineTextbookHelp 18chapters| 95lessons {{courseNav.course.topics.length}}chapters| {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}lessons |{{course.flashcardSetCount}} flashcardset{{course.flashcardSetCoun>1?'s':''}} Ch1. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit1.1:IntroductiontoEcology Ch2. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit1.2:RolesinEnergyTransfer Ch3. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit1.3:PopulationDynamics Ch4. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit1.4:InteractionsinCommunities Ch5. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit2.1:LandBiomes Ch6. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit2.2:AquaticEcosystems Ch7. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit2.3:Energy&MatterinEcosystems Ch8. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit2.4:ChangesinEcosystems Ch9. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit2.5:HumanActivity&Ecosystems Ch10. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit3.1:Earth'sSupportofLife Ch11. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit3.2:NaturalResources Ch12. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit3.3:NonrenewableEnergyResources Ch13. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit3.4:RenewableEnergyResources Ch14. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit3.5:ManagingResources Ch15. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit4.1:HumanImpactonWater Ch16. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit4.2:HumanImpactonLand Ch17. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit4.3:... GreenhouseGasesandtheEnhancedGreenhouseEffect 7:53 WhatIsAirPollution?-Definition,Sources&Types 6:45 AcidPrecipitation:Definition,Causes&Effects 4:07 AirQualityIndex:Definition&Uses 7:14 NextLesson WhatIsIndoorAirPollution?-Definition,Sources&Effects GlobalClimateChange:EffectsandMitigationStrategies 7:56 Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit4.3:HumanImpactontheAtmosphere Ch18. ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironment... Goto ScienceFusionEcology&theEnvironmentUnit4.4:ProtectingEarth'sWater,Land&Air AirQualityIndex:Definition&UsesRelatedStudyMaterials Related RecentlyUpdated Popular ExploreSubjects HomeworkHelp BrowsebyCourses ScienceCourses Environment&EcologyCourses TransferableCreditCourses CertificatesCourses StudyCourses IntroductiontoGenetics:CertificateProgram UExcelBasicGenetics:StudyGuide&TestPrep PrinciplesofPhysicalScience:CertificateProgram APEnvironmentalScience:TutoringSolution APEnvironmentalScience:HelpandReview APEnvironmentalScience:HomeworkHelpResource APChemistry:HomeworkHelpResource HighSchoolBiology:HelpandReview APChemistry:TutoringSolution IntroductiontoNutrition:CertificateProgram UExcelWeatherandClimate:StudyGuide&TestPrep WeatherandClimateScience:CertificateProgram DSSTAstronomy:StudyGuide&TestPrep BrowsebyLessons MagnesiumHydroxide:Formula,Uses&SideEffects WhatAreBetaBlockers?-Uses,Types,Examples&SideEffects WhatIsanNSAID?-Use,SideEffects&Example WhatIsDiazepam?-Uses&SideEffects WhatIsMagnesiumSulfate?-Formula,Uses&SideEffects Quiz&Worksheet-PhotoelectronSpectroscopy Quiz&Worksheet-CharacteristicsofPrimates Quiz&Worksheet-LimbDevelopmentinVertebrateTetrapods Quiz&Worksheet-OriginsofJawsinVertebrateFishandSharks Quiz&Worksheet-EvolutionaryCharacteristicsofAmniotes APPhysics1:MechanicalWaves APPhysics1Flashcards APPhysicsC:Vectors APPhysicsC:Kinematics APPhysicsC:Acceleration,Velocity,&Gravity LatestCourses TExESCoreSubjectsEC-6(391):Practice&StudyGuide TExESSchoolCounselor(252):Practice&StudyGuide VirginiaSOL-USHistory1865toPresent:TestPrep&Practice VirginiaSOL-USHistoryto1865:TestPrep&Practice Biology202L:Anatomy&PhysiologyIIwithLab GeneticsFundamentals NutritionandtheHumanBody CirculatoryandDigestiveSystems NervousandLymphaticSystems SoundandWaves RoleofStudentSupportinOpen&DistanceLearning TExESPrincipalExamRedesign(068vs.268) TeacherSalarybyState ESLResourceGuideforTeachers WhatisaHomeschoolCo-op? HowtoStartHomeschoolingYourChildren AddressingCulturalDiversityinDistanceLearning LatestLessons WhatisAcetanilide?-Uses&Hazards WaltWhitman'sIHearAmericaSinging:Summary&Analysis TheRoleofMediainElections&OtherGovernmentActivities UnderstandingthePropertiesofLimits LGBT+Community,TransIndividuals&GenderInclusivePronouns ReasonsWhyTheScarletLetterWasBanned Inductive,Mesomeric&ElectromericEffects Quiz&Worksheet-AttackingtheMotiveFallacy Quiz&Worksheet-CharacteristicsofGenderRoles Quiz&Worksheet-WomenintheQingDynasty UnitedNationsDay:Quiz&WorksheetforKids Flashcards-RealEstateMarketingBasics Flashcards-PromotionalMarketinginRealEstate 11thGradeMathWorksheets&Printables LearningStylesGuide PopularCourses HighSchoolTrigonometryTextbook CreatingaFrameworkforCompetitiveAnalysis CreatingProactiveCustomerService GACEProgramAdmissionAssessmentTestIIIWriting(212):Practice&StudyGuide SATSubjectTestWorldHistory:TutoringSolution WeightManagementforPersonalHealth CellBiology&CellCyclefortheMCAT:HelpandReview Quiz&Worksheet-ModelingDataSets&SituationswithQuadraticFunctions Quiz&Worksheet-ProbabilitiesAboutMeansUsingtheCentralLimitTheorem Quiz&Worksheet-The24thAmendment'sRatification&Impact Quiz&Worksheet-Pharisees&SadduceesasEarlyCriticsofChrist Quiz&Worksheet-EmpiricalDiscreteProbabilityDistributions&ExpectedValues PopularLessons DevelopingForeignPolicy:ThePresident,Congress&InterestGroups Druidry:Definition,History&Beliefs MCATRegistrationInformation SunActivitiesforKids 9thGradeWritingPrompts HowtoAceaSecondInterview RomeoandJulietAct1LessonPlan HowtoPasstheTOEFLExam HowtoPreparefortheNewSAT FindingIllinoisTAPTestingCenters FTCEMath6-12:PassingScore ScienceProjectsforPreschoolers Math Math-Videos Math-Quizzes Math-Questions&Answers SocialSciences SocialSciences-Videos SocialSciences-Quizzes SocialSciences-Questions&Answers Science Science-Videos Science-Quizzes Science-Questions&Answers Business Business-Videos Business-Quizzes Business-Questions&Answers Humanities Humanities-Videos Humanities-Quizzes Humanities-Questions&Answers Education Education-Videos Education-Quizzes Education-Questions&Answers History History-Videos History-Quizzes History-Questions&Answers ArtandDesign ArtandDesign-Videos ArtandDesign-Quizzes ArtandDesign-Questions&Answers TechandEngineering TechandEngineering-Videos TechandEngineering-Quizzes TechandEngineering-Questions&Answers HealthandMedicine HealthandMedicine-Videos HealthandMedicine-Quizzes HealthandMedicine-Questions&Answers WhatisAQI? WhatdoestheAQItellus?a)Therelativeamountandtypeofoutdoorairpollutantthatisinourareathatday.b)Noneofthese.c)Howfastyouwillgetasunburn.d)Airvisibility. Createanaccounttostartthiscoursetoday Usedbyover30millionstudentsworldwide Createanaccount Likethislesson Share Exploreourlibraryofover84,000 lessons Search Browse Browsebysubject CollegeCourses Business English ForeignLanguage History Humanities Math Science SocialScience SeeAllCollegeCourses HighSchoolCourses AP CommonCore GED HighSchool SeeAllHighSchoolCourses OtherCourses College&CareerGuidanceCourses CollegePlacementExams EntranceExams GeneralTestPrep K-8Courses SkillsCourses TeacherCertificationExams SeeAllOtherCourses Upgradetoenroll × Enrollinginacourseletsyouearnprogressbypassingquizzesandexams. Trackcourseprogress Takequizzesandexams Earncertificatesofcompletion Youwillalsobeableto: CreateaGoal Createcustomcourses Getyourquestionsanswered UpgradetoPremiumtoaddallthesefeaturestoyouraccount! UpgradeNow UpgradetoPremiumtoaddallthesefeaturestoyouraccount!