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Navigation tip: find out about sources of air quality pollutants and seasonal air quality patterns in this town by selecting the town name above. View regional summary results by selecting Air Quality.

Central Dunedin

Dunedin at Albany Street: The monitoring site was located at the corner of Albany Street and Anzac Avenue between 2006 and 2022. In 2022 the site was moved to 51 Clyde Street.

Dunedin at Clyde Street: This monitoring site started operating in Nov 2022 after being relocated from Albany Street. It monitors PM10 and PM2.5.

The main source of PM10 in Dunedin is smoke from solid fuel burners, resulting in wintertime PM10 levels that are generally higher than those measured during summer. In addition, the temperature inversions that commonly form in winter create conditions that discourage dispersion, allowing PM10 to accumulate. Cold night-time air sinking down the sides of hills also serves to keep smoky air close to ground level.

A study of the spatial distribution of pollutants in Dunedin (NIWA, 2009) noted that in addition to the emissions of nearby surrounding sources, cold-air drainage brings domestic-heating emissions down from the hill suburbs in the northwest.

Since monitoring began in 2006, air quality has improved as a result of emission controls. Dunedin Central is the only one of the four sites that are monitored continuously in Otago to consistently meet air quality standards.

Scientific Indicators
Scientific data for this site

This dashboard shows the latest results for air quality indicators collected by regional councils and unitary authorities.  Indicators are shown against the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES-AQ).  Where no national standards exist for the air quality measurements shown, the data are compared against other guidelines (e.g. World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 guidelines, Ambient Air Quality Guidelines (AAQG)).  

Select 'Show more information +' under a dashboard to see the current and historical monitoring data.

 

  • PM10
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    • Exceedance
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    PM10 information

    • Hourly
    • Daily
    • Monthly
    • Annual
    • Exceedances
    • Show wind speed
    • Show temperature
    Months:
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    Showing:

    Guideline

    Concentration (µg/m3)

    Wind speed (km/h)

    Air temperature (℃)

    Guideline

    What is this graph showing me?

    This graph shows how concentrations of PM10 change on an hourly, daily, monthly or annual basis for the selected time period. The number of exceedance days can be viewed over the last 10 years or all years if available.

    The PM10 daily average concentrations and exceedance days are compared to the National Standard (NES-AQ), and the PM10 annual average concentrations are compared to the WHO guideline.  The standard and guideline limits are denoted by the red horizontal line.   There are no guidelines for hourly or monthly average concentrations.  For information about allowable exceedances and targets, and the limitations of data shown, see the factsheet on monitoring air quality in New Zealand. 

    The concentrations depend on local sources of emissions and weather conditions. Emissions from various sources change, depending on whether it's a weekday or the weekend or at different times of the year (e.g. emissions from home heating go up in the cold winter months).  Still conditions often lead to high concentrations, as there is no wind to blow away the pollutants in the air.  At some monitoring sites, the hourly temperature and wind data are available to explore the relationship between local weather conditions and PM10 concentrations.  See this factsheet about why air quality is important and factors that influence air quality. 

     Download data