2016 Global Air Quality (PM 2.5 Concentrations)

This map shows global PM 2.5 (particulate matter) concentrations in 2016. This is shown by countries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50km hex bins. The data is derived from NASA SEDAC's gridded PM 2.5 rasters.

This map shows particulate matter in the air sized 2.5 micrometers of smaller (PM 2.5) by country boundaries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50 km hex bins. The unit of measurement is micrograms per cubic meter.
The layer shows the annual average PM 2.5 in 2016, highlighting if the overall mean for an area meets the pre-2019 World Health Organization guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic meter annually. Areas that don't meet the guideline and are above the threshold are shown in red, and areas that are lower than the guideline are in grey.
PM 2.5 is fine particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter. These particles can cause the air to be hazy, and can get into human lungs and the bloodstream causing major health concerns. To learn more about PM 2.5 and its global/human impacts, visit this World Health Organization page about ambient air pollution.
The PM 2.5 data in this map is aggregated from NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) gridded data into country boundaries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50 km hex bins. The unit of measurement for PM 2.5 concentrations is micrograms per cubic meter. For full metadata and methodology documentation about the layer used in this map, visit this Living Atlas layer. For metadata and methodology about the data used to generate the layer, visit the NASA SEDAC gridded PM 2.5 documentation page.

To learn the techniques used in the analysis that generated this layer, visit the Learn ArcGIS lesson Investigate Pollution Patterns with Space-Time Analysis by Esri's Kevin Bulter and Lynne Buie. 

Citations: van Donkelaar, A., R. V. Martin, M. Brauer, N. C. Hsu, R. A. Kahn, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and D. M. Winker. 2018. Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR and SeaWiFS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) with GWR, 1998-2016. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/H4ZK5DQS. Accessed 1 April 2020

van Donkelaar, A., R. V. Martin, M. Brauer, N. C. Hsu, R. A. Kahn, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and D. M. Winker. 2016. Global Estimates of Fine Particulate Matter Using a Combined Geophysical-Statistical Method with Information from Satellites. Environmental Science & Technology 50 (7): 3762-3772. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05833.

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Last Updated September 11, 2026, 06:45 (UTC)
Created March 24, 2026, 21:07 (UTC)
Domain / Topic
Domain or topic of the dataset being cataloged.
Title
Title for the Dataset.
2016 Global Air Quality (PM 2.5 Concentrations)
Description
A description of the dataset.

This map shows global PM 2.5 (particulate matter) concentrations in 2016. This is shown by countries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50km hex bins. The data is derived from NASA SEDAC's gridded PM 2.5 rasters.

This map shows particulate matter in the air sized 2.5 micrometers of smaller (PM 2.5) by country boundaries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50 km hex bins. The unit of measurement is micrograms per cubic meter.
The layer shows the annual average PM 2.5 in 2016, highlighting if the overall mean for an area meets the pre-2019 World Health Organization guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic meter annually. Areas that don't meet the guideline and are above the threshold are shown in red, and areas that are lower than the guideline are in grey.
PM 2.5 is fine particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter. These particles can cause the air to be hazy, and can get into human lungs and the bloodstream causing major health concerns. To learn more about PM 2.5 and its global/human impacts, visit this World Health Organization page about ambient air pollution.
The PM 2.5 data in this map is aggregated from NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) gridded data into country boundaries, administrative 1 boundaries, and 50 km hex bins. The unit of measurement for PM 2.5 concentrations is micrograms per cubic meter. For full metadata and methodology documentation about the layer used in this map, visit this Living Atlas layer. For metadata and methodology about the data used to generate the layer, visit the NASA SEDAC gridded PM 2.5 documentation page.

To learn the techniques used in the analysis that generated this layer, visit the Learn ArcGIS lesson Investigate Pollution Patterns with Space-Time Analysis by Esri's Kevin Bulter and Lynne Buie. 

Citations: van Donkelaar, A., R. V. Martin, M. Brauer, N. C. Hsu, R. A. Kahn, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and D. M. Winker. 2018. Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR and SeaWiFS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) with GWR, 1998-2016. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/H4ZK5DQS. Accessed 1 April 2020

van Donkelaar, A., R. V. Martin, M. Brauer, N. C. Hsu, R. A. Kahn, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and D. M. Winker. 2016. Global Estimates of Fine Particulate Matter Using a Combined Geophysical-Statistical Method with Information from Satellites. Environmental Science & Technology 50 (7): 3762-3772. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05833.
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4.81
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2020-08-24
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public
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This work is licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement. View Summary | View Terms of Use
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Location
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https://climate.esri.ca/datasets/arcgis-content::2016-global-air-quality-pm-2-5-concentrations
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Owner
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lisa_berry
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ArcGIS Living Atlas Team
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ArcGIS Living Atlas Team
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Author
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lisa_berry
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Accessed At
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2024-12-23
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Identifier
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5f0f00a15d7f47d093c096b27a9c3b8c
Language
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English
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https://climate.esri.ca/datasets/arcgis-content::2016-global-air-quality-pm-2-5-concentrations
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None
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None
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ArcGIS Living Atlas Team
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Indigenous Community Permission
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The Indigenous communities the dataset is about
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