WDIR & WSP

WDIR = Wind Direction      DEG = Degrees    WSP = Wind Speed

 

Wind direction tells you where the air is coming from, which is important because air pollution at River Ridge/Harahan originates in landfills and chemical plants to the West and South. The wind direction can inform you when air is carrying toxins from these places into town.

 

The values are expressed in degrees relative to North

North = 0            West = 270         South = 180          East =90

Jefferson Parish Landfill is about 210° from the monitoring station.

Cornerstone Chemical Plant is about 300° 

(Note that these numbers are very general estimations)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This map plots the locations of Jefferson Parish Landfill and Cornerstone Chemical Plant in relation to the LDEQ Air Monitoring Station, and the wind direction that would make those locations upwind from the station.

 

On the Jefferson Parish Site Data, you can observe that levels of H2S are highest when wind is blowing from the landfill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we can see the data from March 26, 2020. It shows both methane and H2S at high levels from 12AM up through 5 AM, when the wind is blowing from the Southwest. This demonstrates how pollutants from the Jefferson Parish Landfill are brought to Harahan via Southwestern Winds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is from April 2, on a day when winds were blowing from the Northwest: the Cornerstone Plant area. Here we observe very high levels of methane coming in from that direction. 

 

 Understanding the Data

It is important to remember that wind is very variable, and the numbers recorded do not always show the full picture. Wind can curve, or new currents can arrive from the upper atmosphere. The wind might pick up toxins, carry them somewhere, then bring them back from a different direction. So it is important to not take these readings as fact but look at them in comparison with the other data. 

 

Also, you should remember that the readings are relative to the monitoring station, so if you live somewhere else, it may not be accurate. However, you can still use the data to see where you are relative to the polluters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the map above, you can see that the monitoring station might not reflect the air quality where you live and that days of little recorded pollution may actually mean the pollution is traveling towards your community instead. You can use the WDIR values to see what's upwind from you, to determine which days have a higher risk of toxic air.