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With the purpose of protecting and informing the public in relation to ambient air quality in Cyprus, a network of nine monitoring stations was established in 2006. This network is operated according to Cyprus regulations, as well as the European Legislation.

For better maintaining this network and presenting the situation in regards to air quality, Cyprus has been divided in six zones. In three of these zones, two monitoring stations have been installed; one station is representative of air quality in areas with increased traffic and the other station is representative of air quality in residential areas (Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca). In another zone there is only one traffic representative station (Pafos), while in the other two zones, an industrial representative station (Zygi) and a background monitoring station (Ayia Marina Xyliatou) have been installed.

These monitoring stations have the ability to obtain measurements from different pollutants, such as Nitrogen Oxides (NO, NO₂, NO_X), Ozone (O₃), Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Particulate Matter (PM_2,5, PM₁₀). Furthermore, the most important meteorological parameters are being monitored, such as: Wind Direction (W/D), Wind Speed (W/S), Ambient Temperature (T), Relative Humidity (R/H), Barometric Pressure (B/P) and Solar Radiation (S/R), by using automatic instruments for continuous measurements.

Traffic Representative Stations

The stations that have been installed in areas with increased traffic have been sited in such a way that the air sampled is representative of air quality for a street segment no less than a 100 m length and have been placed no less than 25 m from a major junction and between 2,5 m to 10 m from the kerbside.

Residential Representative Stations

The stations representative of air quality in residential areas have been located in such a way that their pollution level is influenced by the integrated contribution from all sources upwind of the station. These sampling points are representative for several square kilometers.

Background Representative Station

The site for the background station has been chosen in such a way as to not be influenced by agglomerations or industrial sites in its vicinity. The station is sited more than 20 km away from agglomerations and more than 5 km away from other built-up areas, industrial installations, motorways or major roads with traffic counts of more than 50 000 vehicles per day. These measurements are representative of transboundary air pollution in Cyprus from neighboring countries, as well as of measurements taken for the protection of vegetation and natural ecosystems.

Industrial Representative Station

The industrial representative station, which is located in the village Zygi, Larnaca, indicates the pollutants levels of the industrial sites in the area, such as the electric power station and the Vasilikos cement factory. The station is representative of air quality in an area of at least 250 m × 250 m.