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St Paul's Bay

San Pawl il-Baħar · Malta · Traffic · Urban

What's affecting the air?(2)

Conditions across the Maltese Islands that may be influencing air quality. Context explains a reading; it never adjusts one, and it does not establish the cause of any individual measurement.

  • Saharan dust forecast

    The CAMS model forecasts mineral dust concentrations peaking near 34 µg/m³ over the Maltese Islands, with an aerosol optical depth of about 0.4. Dust transported from North Africa may contribute to elevated PM10 and, to a lesser extent, PM2.5. Dust is a natural source, but the particles it adds affect health in much the same way as other coarse particulate matter.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastModerate confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: PM10, PM2.5

    –

    Source:Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), via Open-Meteo (Opens in a new window)

    Retrieved at

  • Light winds and limited dispersion

    Wind speeds are forecast to fall to about 0.8 km/h for around 10 hours. Light winds may allow locally emitted pollutants — traffic nitrogen dioxide and fine particles in particular — to accumulate near the ground instead of dispersing.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastModerate confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: NO₂, PM2.5, PM10

    –

    Source:Open-Meteo weather forecast (ECMWF and DWD models) (Opens in a new window)

    Retrieved at

Source:Open-Meteo weather forecast (ECMWF and DWD models) (Opens in a new window)Source:Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), via Open-Meteo (Opens in a new window)

Retrieved at

Air quality now

St Paul's Bay: Moderate3.0ProvisionalPartial reading

Air quality is moderate. Anyone sensitive to air pollution may prefer shorter or gentler outdoor exertion.

At least one pollutant is raised. Most people will notice nothing; some sensitive individuals may.

Leading pollutant: NO₂The pollutant with the highest sub-index at this hour. The overall band is the worst sub-index across the pollutants this station reported.

Unavailable18 hours oldMeasured at Retrieved at

Next reading expected around Sun 13 Sep, 01:58

Near-real-time readings are provisional. ERA validates data after publication, and figures may be revised.

Pollutants measured

Measured at Sun 13 Sep, 00:00

  • PM2.5, fine particulate matter

    No value for this hour

    The instrument reported nothing usable. This is not the same as a reading of zero.

  • PM10, coarse particulate matter

    No value for this hour

    The instrument reported nothing usable. This is not the same as a reading of zero.

  • Nitrogen dioxide

    Leading pollutant

    27 µg/m³

    Nitrogen dioxide: Moderate3.0

    Averaging period: Hourly

  • Ozone

    48 µg/m³

    Ozone: Good1.8

    Averaging period: Hourly

  • Sulphur dioxide

    1.1 µg/m³

    Sulphur dioxide: Good1.0

    Averaging period: Hourly

Trends and recent history

Hourly values as published, including hours the feed filled in by modelling.

The published feed carries roughly ten days of hourly history and about two days of forecast, so no longer window is offered. Hours the instrument did not report are shown as gaps. This view covers 66 hours from Sat 12 Sep, 19:00 to Tue 15 Sep, 12:00.

Concentration (µg/m³)

Time (Malta)

  • Measured
  • Forecast
  • Everything to the right of this line is forecast.
  • Good 0–10 µg/m³
  • Fair 10–25 µg/m³
  • Moderate 25–60 µg/m³

Nitrogen dioxide at St Paul's Bay, hourly, in µg/m³, covering the last 24 hours. The published points run from Sat 12 Sep, 19:00 to Tue 15 Sep, 12:00. 66 hours are shown: 6 measured, 0 filled in by modelling, 60 forecast, and 0 with no value at all. Measured values ran from 17 µg/m³ at Sat 12 Sep, 19:00 to 39 µg/m³ at Sat 12 Sep, 23:00, averaging 29 µg/m³ across the 6 measured hours.

Show the values as a table
Values shown in the chart above — Nitrogen dioxide, µg/m³.
Time (Malta)ValueBandHow the value was obtained
17 µg/m³FairMeasured
25 µg/m³FairMeasured
30 µg/m³ModerateMeasured
33 µg/m³ModerateMeasured
39 µg/m³ModerateMeasured
27 µg/m³ModerateMeasured
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
13 µg/m³FairForecast
15 µg/m³FairForecast
17 µg/m³FairForecast
18 µg/m³FairForecast
15 µg/m³FairForecast
13 µg/m³FairForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
14 µg/m³FairForecast
14 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
9.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
13 µg/m³FairForecast
14 µg/m³FairForecast
14 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
9.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
9.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
12 µg/m³FairForecast
14 µg/m³FairForecast
11 µg/m³FairForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
9.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
7.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
6.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
6.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
7.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
10 µg/m³GoodForecast
9.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
8.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
7.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
7.0 µg/m³GoodForecast
Lowest measured
17 µg/m³
Average of measured hours
29 µg/m³
Highest measured
39 µg/m³
Hours with a measured value
6 of 66

Figures cover directly measured hours only. Modelled and forecast hours are excluded from the minimum, maximum and average. Near-real-time data is published before validation and may be revised or withdrawn by ERA.

Some past hours are modelled too: the feed fills gaps when an instrument does not report. Those points are marked as estimated. All times are shown in Malta time.

How this compares

NO₂ — 27 µg/m³

  • Below the EU limit value of 200 µg/m³

    200 µg/m³ over 1 hour · Reference: Directive 2008/50/EC Annex XI

  • Below the EU limit value of 40 µg/m³

    40 µg/m³ over Calendar year · Reference: Directive 2008/50/EC Annex XI

  • Above the WHO guideline of 25 µg/m³

    25 µg/m³ over 24 hours · Reference: WHO 2021

    This limit applies to an average over 24 hours, so a single hourly reading cannot show whether it has been breached.

  • Above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³

    10 µg/m³ over Annual · Reference: WHO 2021

    This limit applies to an average over a calendar year, so a single hourly reading cannot show whether it has been breached.

EU limit values describe legal compliance over long averaging periods. The index bands above are for communication and are a different thing entirely. WHO guidelines are health-based guidance, not law.

What this means for you

Advice for the current band: Moderate

For most people

Most people can carry on as normal.

If you are more sensitive

Consider shortening or easing intense outdoor exertion if you notice symptoms such as coughing or breathlessness.

Who is more affected, and why
Children
Children breathe more air for their size and spend more time active outdoors, so they take in relatively more of whatever is in the air.
Older adults
Existing heart or lung conditions become more common with age, and these are what air pollution tends to aggravate.
People who are pregnant
Reducing avoidable exposure during raised episodes is a reasonable precaution.
People with asthma
Raised particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone can all trigger symptoms. Keep reliever medication to hand on poor-air days.
People with lung conditions
COPD, bronchitis and similar conditions can flare when levels rise. Plan outdoor activity for cleaner hours where possible.
People with heart conditions
Fine particles are the pollutant most closely linked with cardiovascular effects during raised episodes.
People who work outdoors
Long shifts outdoors mean higher cumulative exposure than a short trip. Take breaks indoors when levels are raised.
People exercising hard outdoors
Hard exercise draws more air deeper into the lungs and often through the mouth, bypassing the nose. Consider rescheduling intense sessions when levels are raised.

Advice here is general and precautionary. Air quality is one factor among many, and staying active remains beneficial. If you have severe or sudden symptoms, seek medical help rather than relying on this page.

maqua.app provides general environmental information and does not replace medical advice or official emergency guidance.

Estimated air-quality outlook

Estimated

Forecast values are model output, not measurements. Modelled estimates from the Copernicus atmosphere service, carried in the same feed.

Prepared at
Based on measurements up to
Published outlook
Sun 13 Sep, 01:00 to Tue 15 Sep, 12:00 (60 hours)

Lower confidence

  • Looks 21 hours ahead, where the official model becomes less certain.
  • This station is currently measuring only some of the pollutants it normally reports.
  • The forecast covers fewer pollutants than this station normally measures.

Highest band expected Sun 13 Sep, 16:00 Highest expected band: Moderate3.1

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Moderate

    Estimated · Lower confidence · 23 forecast hours

    Driven by O₃

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Fair

    Estimated · Lower confidence · 24 forecast hours

    Driven by O₃

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Fair

    Estimated · Lower confidence · 13 forecast hours

    Driven by O₃

Why the outlook looks like this

What this outlook cannot tell you

  • These are modelled values for St Paul's Bay, not measurements, and may differ from what is later recorded there.
  • The model describes regional conditions. It cannot anticipate a local event such as roadworks, a fire or a fireworks display.
  • Confidence falls the further ahead the outlook reaches.
  • No forecast is published for PM2.5, PM10 and SO₂ at this station, although the station measures it.

Modelled hourly concentrations from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, published alongside the measurements in the EEA European Air Quality Index dissemination layer and classified with the same European AQI bands maqua.app applies to observations. maqua.app does not model air quality and does not adjust these values.

How the index is calculated

maqua.app provides general environmental information and does not replace medical advice or official emergency guidance.

Explain this reading

Explanations are general information, not medical advice. Every number on this page is calculated by the application itself and is unaffected.

No explanation has been requested. Activate the button to prepare one.

Where this reading comes from

Air-quality data provided by Malta's Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), disseminated via the European Environment Agency (EEA). maqua.app is an independent project and is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by ERA or the EEA.

Each pollutant concentration is rounded to the nearest whole microgram per cubic metre and matched against the published band ranges. The location takes the band of its worst pollutant. A missing value is shown as unavailable and never as zero. Bands are calculated only from pollutants that actually reported.

This is not an official ERA or EEA service. For official statements, consult ERA directly.

Station detail

Station type
TrafficSited beside a busy road, so it records the higher end of local exposure.
Area
Urban
Island
Malta
Altitude
7 m above sea level
Coordinates
35.9448° N, 14.3857° E
Operated by
Environment & Resources Authority (ERA)

Station code: MT00009

All times are shown in Malta time.

All times are shown in Malta time. (Europe/Malta)