Cranfield University is planning to deploy a network of air quality monitors as part of a study of green and blue spaces and urban infrastructures.
It will install the Zephyr monitors from EarthSense across various greenspaces in Bedford, Milton Keynes and Luton which have nearby sources of pollution from roads.
The monitors will measure pollutants including NO, NO2, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO and CO2 over a 6-12-month period to help researchers better understand the impact of green infrastructure on air quality.
This is part of the Defragmenting the fragmented urban landscape (DEFRAG) project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which is looking at how the different types of spaces interlink and impact on air quality, biodiversity and water management.
It is aimed at identifying barriers to a greener infrastructure and delivering new knowledge on how urban planning impacts on biodiversity. The information will be used to design healthier and more resilient towns and cities in the future.
Reduce air pollution
Dr Zaheer Nasar, reader in atmospheric aerosols at Cranfield University, said: “These monitors will measure the concentrations of air pollutants over time and across different seasons and the data collected will help us understand how various types of green spaces in urban areas affect and potentially reduce air pollution.”
Professor Ronald Corstanje, professor of data sciences and head of the Cranfield Environment Centre at Cranfield University, said: “The findings from DEFRAG will be valuable in informing urban planning and policy, ensuring that the ways in which we build our cities in the future are healthy and resilient.”
Other partners for the DEFRAG project include the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Sheffield University, The Alan Turing Institute and stakeholders across Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes.
