Concentrations of Criteria Air Pollutants measured by the MoCaALTAMA Network

Published: 15 September 2025| Version 3 | DOI: 10.17632/6w686ffd2x.3
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Description

This dataset contains concentrations of six criteria air pollutants — PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, SO₂, NO₂, and O₃— measured at four air quality monitoring stations within the MoCaALTAMA Network, located in key locations such as the Madero Refinery (AQS-MR), the Altamira Industrial Corridor (AQS-ACI), Puente Tampico (AQS-PT), and Tampico Airport (AQS-TA) in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The performance, accuracy, and data reliability of the factory- calibrated air quality stations (AQS) were assessed by co-locating one AQS with a reference station from the Mexico City Air Quality Office, at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, UNAM) and comparing the data correlation to be at least R2=0.75. Data coverage periods are from October 2023 to June 2025 for stations AQS-ACI, AQS-MR, and AQS-TA, and from October 2023 to August 2024 for station AQS-PT. Pollutant concentrations are reported in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). This dataset was collected at one-minute intervals using Libelium-based loT sensors, and it can be used in accordance with the guidelines established by the Mexican Official Standard NOM-172-SEMARNAT-2019, which defines the procedures for calculating and communicating the Air Quality Index and associated health risks. To access this procesed data , please contact Dr. Felipe Caballero at fcaballero@ipn.mx or M.I.A. Mireya del Socorro Ovando Rocha at movando@utaltamira.edu.mx. This dataset supports air quality assessments, temporal trend analyses, and environmental modeling in the conurbated area of southern Tamaulipas, including Tampico, Madero, and Altamira. The data were collected using Libelium-based air quality sensors and quality-controlled to ensure consistency.

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Steps to reproduce

Measurement data for five air pollutants (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, SO₂, NO₂, and O₃) were collected using Libelium-based air quality monitoring stations equipped with the following sensors: PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅: OPC-N3 optical particle counter (µg/m³) NO₂: Alphasense NO2-B43F electrochemical sensor SO₂: Alphasense SO2-B4 electrochemical sensor O₃: Alphasense OX-B431 sensor All stations recorded pollutant concentrations at one-minute intervals using the Libelium IoT platform. A quality control process was applied, which included: Removal negative, or clearly erroneous values, application of threshold filters based on expected ambient ranges, standardization of data formats (date, units, station codes) and for gaseous pollutants (NO₂, SO₂, and O₃,) values originally recorded in µg/m³ , but they can be converted to parts per million (ppm) using the ideal gas law under standard conditions of 25 °C and 1 atmosphere. Molar masses used for conversion were: NO₂: 46.01 g/mol SO₂: 64.07 g/mol O₃: 48.00 g/mol These unit conversions were performed following internationally accepted atmospheric chemistry principles, aligned with monitoring procedures and health protection criteria described in the following Mexican Official Standards: NOM-020-SSA1-2021 — Ozone (O₃) NOM-022-SSA1-2019 — Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) NOM-023-SSA1-2021 — Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) The resulting dataset includes daily average concentrations in µg/m³ for all pollutants, and ppm values for gaseous pollutants, along with date and station identifiers. These data support air quality assessment, environmental modeling, and long-term trend analysis for the conurbated area of southern Tamaulipas (Tampico, Madero, and Altamira). This dataset contains original high-resolution data (minute-level), however the processed data according to NOM-172-SEMARNAT can be made available upon request. Please contact Dr. Felipe Caballero (fcaballero@ipn.mx) or Mtra. Mireya del Socorro Ovando Rocha (movando@utaltamira.edu.mx) for access to these detailed datasets.

Institutions

Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Universidad Veracruzana, Centro de Investigacion en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada del IPN

Categories

Air, Urban Air Quality, Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

Funding

Instituto Politécnico Nacional

SIP-IPN 2025-0311

Instituto Politécnico Nacional

SIP-IPN 2024-2823

Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación

CONAHCYT Infraestructura 2022-321595

Licence