Air Pollution Information System (APIS)

APIS provides a comprehensive source of information on air pollution and the effects on habitats and species. Developed and hosted by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK CEH), APIS is a support tool for staff in the UK conservation and regulatory agencies (e.g. SEPA, the Environment Agency, SNH, Natural England, Northern Ireland EA, and NRW), industry and local authorities for assessing the potential effects of air pollutants on habitats and species. As such, it aims to enable a consistent approach to air pollution assessment across the UK. Other potential users include non-governmental organisations, universities, students or anyone interested in finding out more about air pollution effects on wildlife.

The information in APIS is used to inform assessments of Pollution Prevention and Control applications and to inform assessments required under the Habitats Regulations or other legislation.

Datasets

APIS provides a number of datasets to the EIDC including:

- Deposition values of sulphur and nitrogen deposition and concentration values for ammonia (NH3), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) on the UK nature conservation protected sites

- Source attribution data for nitrogen and sulphur deposition across the UK and across the Natura 2000 network

- Critical load and level values for designated habitats and species (where there is an appropriate match) at protected sites across the UK

The work of APIS is jointly funded by the UK pollution and conservation agencies including Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Environment Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Natural England, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH).