PM2.5 Air Pollution Risk (IPCC CMIP6)
This layer maps the concentration of fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 — particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller).
Category: Physical risks · Enabling services Coverage: Global Format: Raster grid Used in risk analysis: No (contextual layer; not used in materiality scoring)
What it shows
This layer maps the concentration of fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 — particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller). PM2.5 is a key air-pollution indicator because these fine particles penetrate deep into the lungs and affect human health, reduce crop yields and visibility, and interact with climate through aerosol effects. The layer signals where air-quality pressure on people and ecosystems is greatest.
How it is built
The layer is taken from CMIP6 climate-model output for the year 2014. To reduce the influence of any single model, it is computed as a multi-model mean across three climate models (GFDL-ESM4, GISS-E2-1-G and MIROC-ES2L), and mapped as a fine-particulate concentration surface. Because it is modelled rather than observed, it represents a smoothed, model-based estimate of PM2.5 concentrations rather than ground-station measurements.
How to read it
Higher values indicate greater PM2.5 concentrations and therefore higher air-pollution risk for health, agriculture and visibility; lower values indicate cleaner air. As a model-based estimate, the layer is best used to compare relative air-quality pressure between locations rather than as a precise local measurement.
Source
CMIP6 climate models, PM2.5 concentration for 2014, multi-model mean of GFDL-ESM4, GISS-E2-1-G and MIROC-ES2L (WCRP CMIP6).
Comparison with the WWF Risk Filter Suite
This is a model-based air-quality variant with no distinct equivalent in the WWF Risk Filter Suite. WWF's air-quality indicator (BRF S2_3) is built from Copernicus CAMS observations, and Darwin's primary air-quality layer follows that family; this PM2.5 layer is a complementary climate-model-derived estimate. Related forward-dated PM2.5 projections in Darwin are temporal scenario variants that WWF does not publish, so this layer is best read as a Darwin air-quality extension rather than a direct WWF mapping.
Legend
Symbolised field: Risk level
| Class | Colour |
|---|---|
| Very low (Très faible) | #2c7bb6 |
| Low (Faible) | #7fc97f |
| Moderate (Modéré) | #fee08b |
| High (Élevé) | #fc8d59 |
| Very high (Très élevé) | #d73027 |
Generated from darwin/layers/layer-pm2-5-air-pollution-risk-ipcc-cmip6.toml and risk_indicator_pairs.toml (develop).