Campbell Creek Science Center Community Data Report

Project Overview

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Air Monitoring and Quality Assurance program began deploying low-cost air quality sensors in communities throughout Alaska in 2023. This has allowed DEC to provide real-time air quality data to the public in more than just the communities with regulatory grade air monitoring. While the data collected from these low-cost air quality sensors does not meet rigorous regulatory requirements and should not be compared to regulatory instruments or health-based standards, the data collected by the sensors are useful for tracking real-time conditions and displaying air quality trends.

DEC currently utilizes QuantAQ Modulair sensors that measure carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), nitrogen oxide (NO ), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), temperature in degrees Celsius (°C ), and relative humidity (RH). Data is collected over a minute long period and then processed into hourly and daily averages.

Sensor Overview and Results

A sensor was installed in Campbell Creek Science Center at 5600 Science Center Dr. Anchorage, AK 99507 on June 18, 2024.

This data report covers air quality in Campbell Creek Science Center in Summer 2025 from April 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025.

Campbell Creek Science Center’s ambient air quality for the Summer 2025 season had

182 days in the good air quality index (AQI) category
1 days in the moderate AQI
0 days in the unhealthy for sensitive groups AQI
0 days in the unhealthy AQI
0 days in the very unhealthy AQI
0 days in the hazardous AQI

Satellite photo of sensor location with overlaid image closeup of the sensor.

Sensor Performance

Campbell Creek’s PM_2.5 ambient air quality for the summer 2025 season fell almost entirely in the Good range of the Air Quality Index (AQI; more information about AQI is provided in Resources) with only a few hours in June and July briefly reaching Moderate levels. Diurnal patterns show steady median PM_2.5 concentrations throughout the hour of day and day of the week, with July experiencing slightly higher median concentrations than other summer months.

Hourly PM_2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) for Summer 2025

Tile plot showing the hourly PM2.5 AQI for each day of the data report time frame.

Air quality index (AQI) categories and colors legend. Good air quality corresponds to green, moderate to yellow, unhealthy for sensitive groups to orange, unhealthy to read, very unhealthy to purple, hazardous to maroon. Hours with non-calculable AQI are gray.

Median PM_2.5 Concentrations for Summer 2025

Summary Statistics of Air Pollutants

Statistic	1-hour PM_2.5 (µg/m³)	24-hour PM_2.5 (µg/m³)	1-hour PM₁₀ (µg/m³)	24-hour PM₁₀ (µg/m³)	O₃ (ppb)	NO₂ (ppb)	NO (ppb)	CO (ppm)
Minimum	0	0.3	0	3.8	2.9	2.55	-4.12	-0.04
Mean	2.3	2.2	13.9	13.8	22.72	11.59	4.03	0.16
1st Max	16.9	7.6	952	78.3	56.7	48.2	26.13	0.86
2nd Max	16.7	7.6	594.1	71.9	56.1	46.21	21.39	0.84

Data Disclaimers

*These statistics are based on preliminary data readings and are intended to provide a brief overview of sensor activity. Finalized data may be obtained upon request and through our annual statistical reports. Data from the community sensor network in non-regulatory and not comparable to the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

**PM₁₀ particle sensors are influenced by weather events such as fog and snow due to hygroscopic effects, essentially water particles are counted as PM₁₀, creating false maximum values that do not necessarily pose health risks.

Resources

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Real-Time AQI Data

EPA NAAQS Information

Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics

Data Access

To access historical data for your community’s sensor, please email a request to AMQA-Data-Requests@alaska.gov. Data will be provided in Excel or .csv format.

Questions or Comments?

Please contact us!

Isaac Van Flein (Fairbanks): 907-451-2253 / Isaac.VanFlein@alaska.gov

Ayla Crosby (Anchorage): 907-269-7750 / Ayla.Crosby@alaska.gov