Skagway, Alaska

Air Monitoring Grant Update

Pollutant(s) of Interest	PM2.5, 03, NO, NOx, CO, SO2
Primary Objective	Deploy a spatially integrated, multi-pollutant air quality measurement system using a combination of FEM measurements and sensor nodes to collect real time data on a number of pollutants, and disseminate real-time air quality data through a publicly accessible advisory web page to support policy decisions and education and outreach.
Monitoring Device(s)	AQSync, AQLite, PAM, Purple Air, Dusk Trak 2, Met Station
# of New Devices	AQSync (1), AQLite (2), PAM (8), Purple Air (10), DuskTrak II (3), Met Station (3)
Primary grantee contact	Skagway Traditional Council
Key grant partners	National Park Service; Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park; Alaska Air Resources Division
More Information	https://www.skagwayaq.org/

Skagway Traditional Council members make up just about 5% of the total population of Skagway, Alaska, yet the Council influence in the area is strong. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council began an ambient air monitoring program in the town of Skagway, a busy deep water cruise ship dock and a hub for tourists looking to travel into Alaska by bus. Initial screening efforts indicated a stark difference in air quality during peak cruise season—when hundreds of boats and thousands of buses, trains and cars are moving through Skagway—and non-peak months. This decrease was particularly evident during the pandemic when tourism all but stopped in the community. Additionally, these data highlighted the need for the Council to establish mechanisms to share air quality data with community members, so that on days when air quality is bad, they can better communicate with residents.

The Skagway Traditional Council partnered with the National Parks Service and nearby

Glacier Bay National Park in 2023 by leveraging an EPA American Rescue Plan grant to supplement its monitoring network with a combination of sensors and regulatory instruments to increase available air monitoring data. The Council worked with the city of Skagway on siting and permitting to locate monitors by the town’s active port, throughout the downtown, and up into the valley leading out of Skagway (where the bulk of the nearly 14,000 people who pass through the community daily during peak season make their way out of town).

The program also includes a data portal that allows for Council officials and Glacier Bay staff to alert community members and park visitors through an emergency broadcast system when air quality is poor. 

This new inflow of information helps inform community members and provides environmental data to decision and policymakers. For decades, Skagway residents and Glacier Bay visitors have known that

air quality fluctuates depending on the season and time of year, but the closest Federally recognized air quality monitor is more than 100 miles away in Juneau. With this new, more robust system in place, additional regulatory-grade air monitors and lower cost sensors help Skagway and Tribal officials make transportation and infrastructure decisions that are in the best interests of their community.  The new, upgraded website and PSA system also give community members a mechanism to better understand the air quality issues in their town.