Reading Aeriqo’s Environmental Cards: Pollen, Dust & Smoke
A walkthrough of each environmental card — what the metrics mean, when they appear, and how to act on them during training.
Quick Answer
Aeriqo shows up to three environmental cards alongside your AQI reading: a pollen card (Europe only, during pollen season), a dust card (when mineral dust is elevated), and a wildfire smoke card (when smoke PM10 is detected). Each card gives you specific, actionable information that the standard AQI number alone doesn’t capture.
This is general guidance, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare provider if you have respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.
The Three Environmental Cards
Standard AQI is a single number that blends multiple pollutants. It’s useful, but it can’t tell you why the air is bad or what specific hazards are present. Aeriqo’s environmental cards fill that gap by surfacing distinct environmental factors separately.
Pollen Card
Europe only, seasonalShows per-type pollen severity for six European species: grass, birch, alder, ragweed, mugwort, and olive. Appears automatically for European locations during pollen season.
Dust Card
Global, event-drivenShows dust-specific PM10 concentration from mineral dust events (Saharan, Gobi, etc.). Appears when dust levels are above background thresholds.
Wildfire Smoke Card
Global, event-drivenShows wildfire-specific PM10 concentration from active fires. Appears when smoke is detected in the air at your location.
Cards only appear when there’s something to report. If none of these hazards are active at your location, you’ll see just the standard AQI display — which means conditions are driven by normal urban pollutants.
Pollen Card Walkthrough
The pollen card appears when you’re viewing a European location during pollen season (roughly February–October). It shows a breakdown by pollen type.
How to Read It
- Per-type rows: Each pollen type gets its own row with a severity level — None, Low, Moderate, High, or Very High.
- Overall level: The card header shows the combined pollen severity across all types.
- Tap for details: Tapping a pollen type opens a detail view with the species name, typical season, and what the current level means for exercise.
- Personal relevance: If you know which pollen triggers your allergies, focus on that specific row rather than the overall level.
The pollen forecast updates hourly. Morning values tend to be highest for most species, so checking before an early run is especially important during peak season.
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The dust and wildfire smoke cards share a similar layout. Each shows the concentration of its specific PM10 source, separate from the overall AQI.
How to Read Them
- Concentration value: Shows the dust or smoke-specific PM10 in µg/m³. This is the contribution from that source alone, not the total PM10.
- Severity level: Colour-coded indicator (Low, Moderate, High, Very High) based on health-relevant thresholds.
- Source label: Clearly marked as "Dust" or "Wildfire Smoke" so you know what’s causing elevated readings.
- Separate from AQI: The standard AQI may look moderate even when one of these cards shows High — because AQI blends all pollutants together.
Both cards use Open-Meteo’s atmospheric composition model, which separates dust and wildfire smoke from other PM10 sources. This separation is what makes the cards more actionable than a raw PM10 number.
Combining Cards with AQI
The environmental cards and AQI complement each other. Here’s how to use them together when deciding whether to train outdoors.
Common Scenarios
AQI Good + No cards showing
Ideal conditions. Train as normal.
AQI Good + Pollen card High (grass)
Air quality is fine for non-allergic athletes. If grass pollen triggers you, take precautions or go indoors.
AQI Moderate + Dust card Moderate
Dust is driving the AQI higher. For short sessions it’s manageable; for long runs, consider waiting for the event to pass.
AQI Unhealthy + Smoke card High
Wildfire smoke is the problem. Move indoors regardless. Smoke-driven AQI spikes are more harmful than the same AQI from normal urban sources.
AQI Good + Smoke card Low
Light smoke is present but not enough to push AQI above 50. Acceptable for most, but sensitive individuals should monitor.
The key principle: when an environmental card is showing a hazard, that specific hazard may be more relevant to your decision than the overall AQI number. A runner allergic to birch pollen cares more about the pollen card than the AQI. A runner with asthma cares more about the smoke card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don’t I see any environmental cards?
Cards only appear when there’s something to report. If no pollen, dust, or smoke is detected at your location, you’ll see just the standard AQI reading. Pollen cards also only appear in Europe.
Can I see environmental cards on free tier?
Yes. The pollen, dust, and wildfire smoke cards are available to all users. Current conditions are shown on both free and pro tiers.
How often do the cards update?
Environmental cards update with each data refresh, typically once per hour. Conditions can change within that window, especially during fast-moving dust or smoke events.
Are the dust and smoke values included in the AQI number?
Partially. AQI is calculated from total PM2.5 and PM10, which includes contributions from dust and smoke. But AQI blends everything together, so you can’t tell from the AQI alone whether dust, smoke, or traffic is the cause. The cards break this out.
Can I get pollen data outside Europe?
Not currently. The pollen forecast relies on the Open-Meteo European pollen model, which only covers Europe. If and when global pollen models become available, support may be extended.
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