Heartland 101

With the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) tool readily available on smartphone apps and websites (including heartlandairmonitoring.org), it’s now possible to see an instant rating on what the air quality outside means to your health.

Fortunately, air quality health ratings in the Heartland are low risk most of the time.

But there are two conditions that typically lead to the poorest air quality days in our region (and much of the prairies). One is wildfire smoke. And the other is a natural phenomenon called a temperature inversion – which tends to materialize when the Polar Vortex expands and sends a gush of cold air southward.

The temperature inversion occurs when the air on the ground cools faster than the air above it. This colder air then gets trapped underneath the layer of warmer air, forming a sort of lid. The result? Our typical emissions cannot rise and disperse as quickly as they normally would.

Additionally, in winter, the need to heat our homes and warm up our vehicles all contribute to higher levels of emissions, especially fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). At times this increase in emissions, coupled with a temperature inversion, then leads to higher AQHI ratings.

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Temperature inversions in the Heartland

Even so, temperature inversions that cause high or very high risk AQHI ratings are rare. Once Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership’s 2025 first quarter data is compiled, the cold snap of early February will likely show some hours of higher risk air quality.

When looking at all of 2024, Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP) monitoring stations in the Airshed region reported 655 hours of high or very high risk AQHI ratings. The precise number of hours caused by winter temperature inversions can be challenging to determine. However, HAMP estimates it is about 5% (while the majority of higher risk hours are due to wildfire smoke).

Can poor winter air quality be prevented?

Most of our emissions stay fairly constant throughout the year and easily disperse under normal weather conditions. But in winter when there is more vehicle idling, home heating and fireplace use adding to pollutant levels, we can all strive to reduce the impact by being conscious of our usage and choosing energy-efficient products.

Access your local AQHI

If you are concerned about your health, do keep track of the current and forecast AQHI for your local area. If you live in the Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership Airshed you can:

1. Check the AQHI ratings for Bruderheim, Elk Island, Fort Saskatchewan, Gibbons, Lamont and Redwater which are posted hourly right on our homepage

2. Download the WeatherCAN app or another weather reporting app, such as the Weather Network, to check the current AQHI for your community.

3. Tune in to Alberta Health Services air quality
advisories or your local media for updates. Most news outlets share special air quality statements or advisories when they are issued.