At 5 am - 6 am, 8 March 2023 (AEDT) this morning both Lismore and Grafton air quality monitoring stations were not reporting data – along with three other regions.

 

The NSW Government monitors air quality across the state.

In the Northern River region this monitoring in theory encompasses the northern part of the North Coast planning region from the NSW-Qld border region down to the Clarence Valley.

Air quality in Northern NSW is generally considered to be good.

However there are only two permanent official air quality monitoring stations in the Northern Rivers region, at Grafton and Lismore.

These stations principally monitor fine particles in the air on an hourly basis and publish the hourly average at

Lismore: https://www.airquality.nsw.gov.au/northern-rivers/lismore

and

Grafton: https://www.airquality.nsw.gov.au/northern-rivers/grafton.

Principally the monitoring is of:

PM2.5 are fine particles in air with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. PM itself is short for 'particulate matter', another term for particles. They are generated by combustion processes from sources such as vegetation fires, motor vehicles and industrial activities. PM2.5 is reported in unit of microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3).

These small particles can get deep into the lungs and be absorbed into the blood stream. Short term impacts include difficulty in breathing and worsening of asthma or chronic bronchitis symptoms. They can also cause irritation of eyes, nose and throat.

PM2.5 Ratings

PM10 are particles in air with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less. PM itself is short for 'particulate matter', another term for particles. They can include dust or sea salt, as well as smaller particles generated from combustion processes such as vegetation fires, motor vehicles and industrial sources. PM10 is reported in unit of microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3).

These particles can pass into the lungs. Short term impacts include difficulty in breathing and worsening of asthma or chronic bronchitis symptoms. They can also cause irritation of eyes, nose and throat.

PM10 Ratings

However, it is somewhat disconcerting to notice that in 2023 the Lismore station in particular is experiencing gaps in the hourly record due to “Station not reporting data”.

Given warnings concerning the possible risk of grassfires across the state from September-October 2023 onwards, I'm sure it would be appreciated by many in Northern NSW if any technical/performance problems are corrected before the next fire season.