Evaluating PurpleAir Sensors: Do They Accurately Reflect Ambient Air Temperature?

ABSTRACT: Low-cost sensors (LCSs) emerge as a popular tool for urban micro-climate studies by offering dense observational coverage. This study evaluates the performance of PurpleAir (PA) sensors for ambient temperature monitoring-a key but underexplored aspect of their use. While widely used for particulate matter, PA sensors' temperature data remain underutilized and lack thorough validation. For the first time, this research evaluates their accuracy by comparing PA temperature measurements with collocated high-precision temperature data loggers across a dense urban network in a humid subtropical U.S. county. Results show a moderate correlation with reference data (r = 0.86) but an average overestimation of 3.77 °C, indicating PA sensors are better suited for identifying temperature trends

SUBMITTER: Tse J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12114826 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature