Division of Air Quality Monitoring and Quality Assurance

2020

2019

The 2019 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of eight days, five of which are Exceptional Events.  The State Office Building site was shutdown and moved to the new A Street location in July.  The 98^th percentile concentration was 27.7 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor, 27.7 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor, and 34.1 µg/m³ at the new A Street monitor.

2018

The 2018 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of two days in February. There were six Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 27 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor and 25.3 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2017

The 2017 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of six days in January and four days in February. There were five Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 38 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor and 34.4 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2016

The 2016 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of two days in February and three days in December. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 39.7 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor and 30.3 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2015

The 2015 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of two values in January and two values in February. The exceedances measured at both monitors in June and July were caused by wildfire smoke, an event that is going to be submitted as an “Exceptional Event” to EPA and will most likely not be used to calculate NAAQS compliance. The 98^th percentile concentration was 35.3 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor and 36.7 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2014

The 2014 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of one value in January and one value in February. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 34.5 µg/m³ at the State Office Building monitor and 31.6 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2013

The 2013 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of one value in March and two values in December. The exceedance measured at both monitors in June was caused by wildfire smoke, an event that is going to be submitted as an “Exceptional Event” to EPA and will most likely not be used to calculate NAAQS compliance. The 98^th percentile concentration was 36.3 µg/m³ at the State Office Building Monitor and 36.2 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2012

The 2012 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³with the exception of one value in January, 3 values in November, and 3 values in December. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 49.6 µg/m³ at the State Office Building Monitor and 50.0 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2011

The 2011 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of one vaule in January, February, and March and one value in November. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 38 µg/m³ at the State Office Building Monitor and 33.1 µg/m³ at the NCORE monitor.

2010

The 2010 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with multiple exceptions: the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded the standard several times in January, once in July, and several times in December. The exceedance in July was caused by wildfire smoke, an event that qualified as an “Exceptional Event” and was not used to calculate NAAQS compliance. The 98^th percentile concentration was 51.8 µg/m³ at the State Office Building Monitor and 50.7 µg/m³ at the NCORE Monitor.

2009

The 2009 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with multiple exceptions: the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded the standard in July and August as well as in January, November, and December. The July and Aµgust exceedances, however, were caused by wildfire smoke, an event that qualified as an “Exceptional Event” and these concentrations were not included in determining compliance with the NAAQS. PM_2.5 monitoring began in November 2009 at what was to become the NCORE site.  The 98^th percentile concentration was 51.0 µg/m³ at the State Office Building Monitor and 44.1 µg/m³ at the NCORE Monitor.

2008

The 2008 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of seven values in January, November, and December. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 46.7 µg/m³.

2007

The 2007 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 2006 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of one value in December. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 33.1 µg/m³.

2006

NOTE: In 2006 EPA strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standard by lowering the concentration to 35 µg/m³. The 2006 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations measured were below the new 24-hour NAAQS of 35 µg/m³ with the exception of four values in January and February. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 42.2 µg/m³. While the 98^th percentile was roughly the same level as in previous years, this year it exceeded the NAAQS, because of the changes to the standards.

2005

The 2005 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³. The State classified several values in June, July, and Aµgust as Exceptional Events even though they did not exceed the NAAQS. The 98^th percentile concentration was 40.6 µg/m³, below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³.

2004

The 2004 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³ with multiple exceptions: the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded the standard in June, July, Aµgust, and September. These exceedances, however, were caused by wildfire smoke, an event that qualified as an “Exceptional Event” and these concentrations were not included in determining compliance with the NAAQS. The 98^th percentile concentration was 46.2 µg/m³, below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³.

2003

The 2003 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were all below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 32.7 µg/m³, below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³.

2002

The 2002 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m³ with one exception: the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded the standard in July. The exceedance in July, however, was caused by wildfire smoke, an event that qualified as an “Exceptional Event” and was not included in calculations of the 98^th percentile concentration. The 98^th percentile concentration was 43.4 µg/m³.

2001

The 2001 PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations were all below the 1997 24-hour NAAQS of 65 µg/m^3. There were no Exceptional Events documented this year. The 98^th percentile concentration was 43.4 µg/m³.

2000

The 2000 PM_2.5 concentrations exhibited a distribution that is typical of Fairbanks air quality – higher concentrations in winter when air pollution is trapped by inversion. The PM_2.5 24-hour concentrations in 2000 were below the 1997 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 65 µg/m³ with two exceptions: the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded the standard in January and again in July. The exceedance in July, however, was caused by wildfire smoke, an event that qualified as an “Exceptional Event” and for which the State can request a waiver from EPA to exclude these values from the dataset used to calculate NAAQS compliance. If EPA agrees with the State’s request, the Exceptional Event concentrations will not be included in any calculations or comparisons to the NAAQS. The 98^th percentile concentration was 46.3 µg/m³.