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Generation of the last forecasts: 24 March 2026 16:06:13 (UTC)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a harmful pollutant that can cause respiratory issues when concentrations are high and contributes to environmental damage through acid rain. It primarily arises from the oxidation of nitrogen monoxide (NO), which itself results from the combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants, and various industries.
This model offers a global prediction of nitrogen dioxide concentrations across the United Kingdom. Utilizing real-time data from the network of stations managed by the UK Environment Agency and supplemented with atmospheric data, it forecasts NO2 levels in three-hour increments over a seven-day period.
The color scale on the model ranges from blue, indicating low concentrations, to red, which signifies high concentrations of pollutants.
The map is initially displayed with the current prediction (or the next available) of nitrogen dioxide concentration and is automatically refreshed every hour. Use the timeline bar (below the map) or the time control panel (on the map) to get a forecast at any other available time.
You can also change the region by moving on the map, change the scale or the background settings.
Both the minimum and maximum values of the predictions over UK are initially displayed on the map. You can display the forecast at any other place by directly clicking on the map. Use the button "Remove all markers" to delete all the displayed values.
It is interesting to compare the forecasts of this model with the predictions of the ozone concentration.
Indeed, ozone reacts chemically with nitrogen monoxide (emitted in particular by automobile traffic) to give nitrogen dioxide and oxygen: O3 + NO -> NO2 + O2. Consequently, in agglomerations and industrial areas, the concentration of ozone tends to decrease when the concentration of nitrogen dioxide increases. On the contrary, the concentration of ozone is often higher in the countryside and in peri-urban areas!
This project uses the records generated by the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) that monitors the UK air quality and pollution. This network automatically produces hourly mesurements of the main pollutants (please refer to the links below for more details). This measurements are combined with calendar and weather data from various models. Data science and machine learning techniques are then used to build predictive models and forecasts for future nitrogen dioxide concentration. This approach is transposable to the prediction of any weather-dependant variable.
All the pollution data are provided by the UK Defra and the Devolved Administrations under the Open Government Licence (OGL).
All the data generated by this experimental model are freely available without warranty of any kind.