Air Quality in Maine

    Air quality data is available in several formats. Viewing it on a map provides spatial context, allowing the viewer to gain an understanding of air quality in the area. On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow maps, the Air Quality Index (AQI) values determine the display color of monitors and contours.

    Ozone levels in Maine are higher during the warmer months and lower during the cooler months. Therefore, during the cooler months, many of the monitors are turned off. During warmer months, data will be available from all our ozone sites.

    Particle pollution levels can rise at any time of the year, therefore, monitors operate year-round.

    Maine DEP sends data to AirNow where it is displayed on two maps:

    On the Interactive Map, there are various options for display:

  • The map opens on the Current tab, where the following selections are available: the pollutant or combination of pollutants and whether to view monitors only, contours of the data category or both together.
  • The Forecast tab will display the highest AQI forecast in a region for today or tomorrow. Click on each region for a breakdown of the pollutant specific forecasts.
  • The Loops tab loops through the most recent 24-hours of data.
  • The Archive tab offers the option to select a previous day to view the maximum AQI for the selected pollutant(s).

    • Tips:

  • Click on the monitors for more information for more details on pollutant concentration and AQI.
  • Click the Info button for more in-depth information and options on each tab.

    • The Fire and Smoke map displays particle pollution data from regulatory monitors as well as some low-cost sensors. This is especially useful when wildfire smoke reaches Maine. EPA has done extensive research resulting in a formula to make the low-cost sensor data comparable to regulatory data.


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