In addition to 28 monitoring stations, AAB oversees operation of four privately-funded monitoring sites near industrial sources of air pollution in the Boston area, and receives data from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) ,  which began operating an ozone monitor on Martha's Vineyard in 2003.

AAB also conducts special monitoring studies and reviews the plans and results from special studies conducted by others in Massachusetts.

AAB submits all ambient air quality data to the national Air Quality System (AQS) database administered by EPA.

Quality Assurance & Data Management

The MassDEP Air Assessment Branch in Lawrence maintains an independent Quality Assurance/Data Management Group that reviews monitoring data for quality, ensures that samples are collected properly and conducts performance audits across the network to verify that data is valid. The Data Group also processes and reports all Massachusetts air quality data to the EPA database in a timely manner. Computer software tools, report queries and "eyes on" data reviews are all used to identify and correct problems in the data before it is submitted to EPA.

To ensure that all air quality data is of acceptable and consistent quality, MassDEP has developed standard operating procedures based on federal requirements. These include quality control and quality assurance techniques that systematically assess the entire sample collection and data handling system on an ongoing basis. Each year, MassDEP certifies that it is in compliance with these federal requirements.

Quality Assurance requirements for ambient air monitoring are contained in the federal regulations at 40 CFR Part 58, Appendix A through E.

Contact the Air Assessment Branch

If you have questions or need additional information about the Massachusetts ambient air monitoring network, please contact:

Tom McGrath
Chief, Air Assessment Branch
617-727-9015, ext. 318
thomas.mcgrath@state.ma.us