Background maps have been provided to assist Scottish local authorities in support of the Review and Assessment of local air quality. These provide background concentrations of NOx, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. Modelled background mass concentrations of each pollutant can be downloaded for each 1 km x 1 km grid square in Scotland in the form of comma separated (CSV) files. Co-ordinates are given for the centre of each 1 km x 1 km grid square.
2021 background concentrations are provided for each 1 km x 1 km grid square and for each local authority area. Projected background concentrations have been calculated for 2021 to 2040 from a base year of 2021. A separate CSV file is available for each Local Authority area, pollutant, and year from 2021 to 2040.
The CSV file format maps for NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 show the total background concentration and the contribution from individual emission sectors. The CSV file format maps for NO2 show the total background concentration only. This information will enable the individual emission sectors to be subtracted from the total when detailed local modelling of that sector is carried out. For example, the contribution from major roads included within a modelling assessment can be removed from the total background concentration which will help avoid double counting. Please note, where sector removal for NOx is undertaken it is also necessary to adjust the NO2 background concentration. Find out more information on the Defra LAQM webpages.
Use the drop-down selectors to choose the local authority, pollutant, and year you require. The datasets for the whole of Scotland can be downloaded by selecting "Scotland" from the Local Authority selector. The maps downloaded here are based on Great Britain Ordnance Survey (OSGB) co-ordinates.