Detroit / Air Studies

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Reading the data

Detroit · 2026 · PM2.5
Daily measurements of fine particles in the air, recorded by seven EPA monitoring stations. Every piece uses this same dataset.

µg/m³ means micrograms of particulate matter per cubic metre of air. Higher concentration means more particles in the measured air. The dashes are missing readings, never zero.

548 observations / 82 missing station-days. Station 0097 is New Mt. Herman Church in Detroit’s 48217 area, with a complete 90-day record. Southwest (0015) has 43 readings and none after March 17. Other four-digit codes identify the other monitors.

One date to follow

Highlighted values share March 31, 2026. New Mt. Herman Church measured 10.9 µg/m³. This is the latest date represented in the downloaded Detroit records, not the highest reading. The larger plots still show the whole quarter. Moving marks rearrange the recorded data; they do not simulate changing pollution. Small moving-scan readouts show the exact date and concentration being inspected.

01 / The record ↗

Each column is a month; each row is a day. All 90 New Mt. Herman Church concentrations appear as numbers. The large figure is the selected reading; the side list compares the seven monitors on that same date.

02 / Across the monitors ↗

Seven layered traces share a concentration scale. Time runs left to right; taller peaks mean higher concentrations. The layers separate stations visually, not geographically. A slow reveal scans the quarter. Bottom triplets are each station’s minimum / mean / maximum.

03 / Above and below ↗

Each stem is one New Mt. Herman Church day. Above the baseline means higher than the quarter’s median, 6.45 µg/m³; below means lower. Height shows the difference. The baseline is a statistical reference, not a safety limit.

04 / How often ↗

The 90 numerical readings move from calendar order into twelve concentration bands. Taller stacks contain more days. The dense low end and sparse high end show which concentrations were common and which were unusual. Numbers retain their actual values as they move.

05 / Same day, different stations ↗

Seven station rows move between code order and highest-to-lowest concentration. Bar length compares readings on March 31. The longest bar is that day’s maximum; the printed values preserve the exact readings. Small coordinate pairs locate the monitors.

06 / Time becomes rank ↗

Each of the 90 New Mt. Herman Church observations moves from its calendar position into concentration rank. Faint connectors follow the same observation between both positions. The highlighted day and rank show how the selected reading compares with the quarter.

07 / The whole quarter ↗

One spoke per New Mt. Herman Church day. Longer spokes mean higher concentrations; month numbers orient the circle. It slowly unfolds into a left-to-right timeline, preserving the observations. The linear view expands the height scale for readability.

What this can tell you

When recorded concentrations rose, how often different values occurred, and how monitors differed. These readings alone cannot identify an emission source or describe every resident’s exposure. This is an archived quarter, not a live feed.

Full narrative and mapping notes ↗
EPA sources and selection method ↗

SWIPE