Dunedin

Dunedin is a mid-sized city located on the east coast of Otago. It is the home of several industrial discharge and quarrying activities spanning from Port Chalmers in the north, through to the central city. The central part of Dunedin is dominated by Otago University and Dunedin Hospital facilities, as well as commercial and retail premises. The surrounding suburbs are largely residential, with two additional major commercial centers located in South Dunedin and Kaikorai Valley. State Highway 1 runs through the middle of Dunedin, which records the highest traffic counts in all Otago. Long-term air quality monitoring for PM₁₀ began in 2006, in Central Dunedin.

In 2022 the Central Dunedin site was relocated from Albany Street to Clyde Street, approximately 200 metres north-east. Additional sites have been investigated for particulate pollution, namely in North East Valley in 2005-2007 and South Dunedin in 2007-209, two areas that are likely to have elevated home heating emissions in winter.

Town Summary

Air quality in this town

The main sources of PM₁₀ in Dunedin include home heating emissions, vehicle and industrial emissions, with smaller natural contributions from dust and sea salt. In recent years, Dunedin has met the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality. The city has relatively good air quality year-round, although emissions can accumulate in some of the valley areas during still conditions.

Sources of air pollution

Home heating Industrial Outdoor burning Traffic Indoor sources Natural sources

In this town, where do emissions come from?

The split between home heating, industrial, outdoor burning and traffic sources

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Sources of PM₁₀ emissions
Sources of PM_2.5 emissions
Sources of NOx emissions

Source	Annual percentage	Winter day percentage
Home heating	{{emissions.annualhome}}%	{{emissions.winterhome}}%
Industrial	{{emissions.annualindustry}}%	{{emissions.winterindustry}}%
Outdoor burning	{{emissions.annualoutdoor}}%	{{emissions.winteroutdoor}}%
Traffic	{{emissions.annualmotor}}%	{{emissions.wintermotor}}%

Relative breakdown

Annual

Winter day

The table shows the proportions of the main sources of PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in this town from home heating, industrial activities, outdoor burning and traffic. (Indoor, natural and shipping sources are not included in this breakdown).

These values come from 2013 data sourced from MfE’s data service. Consistent methodology was used to calculate these estimates of PM and NO_x emissions, which allows comparison between towns throughout New Zealand. Regional council or unitary authority published emissions information might differ if they were prepared in a different year or used another method. Contact your regional council or unitary authority for more information about PM and other emissions in your area.

Seasonal variation

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PM10

PM2.5

Wind speed (km/h)

Air temperature (℃)

What is this graph showing me?

The graph shows the monthly average PM concentrations at one representative site in this town for the year selected. In many towns in New Zealand, PM peaks in the winter when air temperatures and wind speeds are lowest as more people heat their homes during colder weather, and still conditions mean that there is no wind to disperse the air pollutants.

Sites 3

Monitored sites in Dunedin

Monitored sites in this town can be categorised according to location:

Residential: Air monitoring site is in a suburban area with a relatively high population density, but not close to a busy road or industry.
Traffic: Air monitoring site is very close to a busy road or intersection.
Industry: Air monitoring site is close to industry, including heavy commercial and processing factories.
Coastal: Air monitoring site is close to the coast where there are high levels of sea salt in the air.
NES: A site monitored for compliance with the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES-AQ).

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Dunedin

Sources of air pollution

In this town, where do emissions come from?

Seasonal variation

What is this graph showing me?

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