The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, located in the far north west of the Tasmania, regularly monitors Tasmania as having the world’s cleanest air.

The lack of pollution is due to the island’s southerly latitude, its position in the Southern Ocean, low-key development, distance from other land masses, and the cleansing effect of the Roaring Forties. The Cape Grim station is located in the path of the Roaring Forties, which are strong westerly winds that carry pollution-free air thousands of kilometres across the Southern Ocean.

The facility is jointly run by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO and records vital information about changes to the atmospheric composition of the Southern Hemisphere.

For more information contact Neil Tindale, Senior Research Analyst, on tel. (03) 6452 1629 or email n.tindale@bom.gov.au.