Air Quality & Emissions¶
Mobile Emissions Analysis¶
The air quality analysis for the Port of Mobile examines emissions from at-berth vessel operations across ASPA terminals — Mobile Container Terminal, McDuffie Coal Terminal, and the Theodore Industrial Canal — and their impact on surrounding communities including Africatown, Prichard, and Chickasaw.
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No Comprehensive Port Emissions Inventory
The Alabama State Port Authority has not published a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory. Estimates rely on ICCT Port Emissions Screening data, ASPA tonnage statistics, and EPA emission factors cross-referenced with comparable Gulf Coast ports. The October 2024 Phase IV expansion is not yet fully reflected in operational data.
Data Sources¶
| Source | Publisher | Data Provided | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirNow / AQS | EPA | Real-time and historical PM2.5, PM10, ozone, NO₂ | aqs.epa.gov |
| ADEM Air Monitoring | ADEM | State air quality monitoring network | adem.alabama.gov |
| National Emissions Inventory | EPA | Port-area emissions from mobile and stationary sources | epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories |
| ICCT Port Emissions Screening | ICCT | Vessel-level at-berth emission estimates | theicct.org |
| Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) | EPA | Facility-level chemical releases — 35+ facilities in Mobile County | epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program |
| AIS Vessel Data | MarineCadastre | Vessel position reports for call identification and dwell time | marinecadastre.gov |
Monitoring Stations¶
ADEM operates continuous air quality monitoring stations around Mobile:
| Station | Location | Proximity to Port | Pollutants | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile (Chickasaw) | Port-adjacent community | < 2 miles | PM2.5, O₃ | ADEM |
| Mobile (Crichton) | Central Mobile | ~3 miles | PM2.5 | ADEM |
| Fairhope | Across Mobile Bay | ~10 miles | O₃ | ADEM |
ADEM's monitoring network is less dense than peer state networks. Community-led air quality monitoring in Africatown has been organized periodically by residents, academic partners, and nonprofit organizations but does not constitute a continuous regulatory-grade monitoring program.
Full Assessment Available
The complete analysis for this section — including census-tract-level health quantification, monetized health damages, environmental justice scoring, and scenario modeling — is available through our research services.
See the full methodology in action: Our Duluth-Superior assessment and New York/New Jersey assessment demonstrate the complete analytical depth available for every port on this site.
Contact us to discuss a site-specific assessment for this port community: research@porthealthwatch.org