Air Quality Monitoring


Monitoring Air Quality in L.A. Harbor


Air Quality Stations Map
Since 2005, the Port of Los Angeles has monitored air quality within its operational region of influence in Los Angeles Harbor. This air quality monitoring program supports the Port’s commitment to improve air quality within the San Pedro Bay Ports area under the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), by helping to better manage and provide feedback on the Port’s air quality improvement efforts.
 
The monitoring program includes a network of four air monitoring stations that measure a comprehensive set of air pollutants within the region of influence. The air quality monitoring stations measure ambient air pollution levels in the vicinity of the Port of Los Angeles. The program includes a number of real-time air quality measurements: ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, two sizes of particulate matter (PM10 or coarse particles, and PM2.5 or fine particles), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and ultrafine particles. In addition, 24-hour integrated samples of particulates are collected on filters every third day for detailed chemical analyses, which can not be done with real-time monitors.
 
As part of the program, meteorological monitoring stations operate adjacent to each air monitoring station, to help interpret the air quality data and for use in other Port programs. Each meteorological monitoring station collects wind speed, wind direction, and temperature data; in addition, one station also collects solar radiation, relative humidity, and barometric pressure data.
 
Selection of the locations for the two community stations was dependent on a special “validation study” to ensure that the monitoring sites were representative of ambient conditions within the community. 
 
Air Quality Monitoring Stations
Station 1 Wilmington Community Station

Station 1 Wilmington Community Station

Station 2 Coastal Boundary Station

Station 2 Coastal Boundary Station

Station 3 Source-Dominated Station 

Station 3 Source-Dominated Station 

Station 4 San Pedro Community Station 

Station 4 San Pedro Community Station 

Real-Time Data


In 2008, the Port of Los Angeles began collecting and transmitting real-time data for ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, two sizes of particulate matter (PM10 or coarse particles, and PM2.5 or fine particles), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and ultrafine particles for the public to review. The San Pedro Bay Ports Air Monitoring Site, which also displays data collected by the neighboring Port of Long Beach, to provide a more comprehensive picture of air quality within San Pedro Bay.
 
Additionally, sampling data are used to perform health risk assessments, which are ways of estimating lifetime cancer risk if one were exposed at the observed sampling level throughout a 70-year lifetime. To learn more about health risk assessments, visit the California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
 

Particulate Data


The following charts provide summaries of the particulate data measured at the four community air monitoring stations within the Port of Los Angeles network. Although the data are collected as integrated samples on EPA's designated schedule (every third day), the tables depict monthly averages and the graphs depict annual averages. More detailed graphs showing monthly variations are archived, by year, below. These averages reduce the day-to-day variability in the data, making it easier to determine the longer-term data trends. As evident in the graphs and tables, the level of particulates in the atmosphere varies considerably. These variations occur for a number of reasons, including the time of year and changes in the weather and Port operations.
 
Cumulative* Data By Pollutant
(2005-2021)
Historical Monthly Averages By Pollutant, Year
PM2.5 2005 2010 2015 2020
2006 2011 2016 2021
2007 2012 2017 2022
2008 2013 2018 2023
2009 2014 2019 2024
 
Elemental Carbon (EC) 2005 2010 2015 2020
2006 2011 2016 2021
2007 2012 2017 2022
2008 2013 2018 2023
2009 2014 2019 2024
 
PM10 2005 2010 2015 2020
2006 2011 2016 2021
2007 2012 2017 2022
2008 2013 2018 2023
2009 2014 2019 2024
*Cumulative data tables show comparisons to State and Federal standards dating back to 2005.
Learn more about air quality standards by visiting the California Air Resources Board and Environmental Protection Agency websites.

Public Meetings on the Air Quality Monitoring Program


The Port of Los Angeles began holding public meetings on the air monitoring program in January 2023. These meetings provide status updates on the air monitoring equipment, current data, and an opportunity for the public to discuss the air monitoring program with Port of Los Angeles staff. Videos, agendas and presentations from these meetings are posted below.