The majority of the South and Southeast Asian population live in regions where the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines are not met, and exposure to high concentrations of air pollution leads to serious climate, ecological and health consequences. Asia represents one of the most densely populated regions in the world, and observes strong spatial and temporal heterogeneities in air-pollutant emissions. Air pollution is now the second largest cause of deaths in the region with 1 million deaths per year. Given its severity, it is a public health emergency and warrants immediate action. The links between air quality and human health are mediated by a complex interplay of physical, chemical, and dynamic processes at local, regional and synoptic scales. It is anticipated that the larger benefits of reducing air pollution will be for Asian countries as climate change is manifesting health impacts through multiple pathways including heat stress, season-specific haze, wider spread of infectious diseases, deteriorating air quality, malnutrition, and so on. Furthermore, rapid urbanization, unsustainable land-use planning, industrialization, open biomass burning and climate change effects such as temperature rise and perturbed hydrological cycle, can significantly impact the atmospheric chemistry and human health in Asian urban air-sheds.
Measurements and modelling studies of aerosols and trace gases suggest their potential impact on human health, radiative forcing, and climate change. Due to augmented emissions or foggy and hazy episodes in cities, we need to map air pollution to understand its ongoing processes and the factors influencing its spatial-temporal variability. Accurately monitoring aerosols and trace gases is vital in assessing their health impacts, source apportionment, evaluation of source emission control improvements, regulatory emission norms, and decision-making of new policies in the long run. Yet, limited ground-based observations across urban hotspots are hampering our understanding of the evolution, distribution, atmospheric transformation mechanism, and fate of air pollutants. Although the reporting of aerosol characteristics has significantly increased in the last few decades, our knowledge on aerosol radiative forcing is still inadequate, therefore causing uncertainty when estimating anthropogenic climate perturbations.
This Research Topic aims to cover the emission, transport, source, chemistry, and various effects of aerosols and trace gases in Asian cities with a synergy of field-based and remote sensing observations and modelling. We are particularly interested in articles based on state-of-the-art measurement techniques and modelling results showing scientific novelty. We would also like to cover the health effects of air pollutants in today’s context as they represent a major scientific concern. Articles submitted to this Research Topic can include studies based on modelling, long-term observations, short-term campaigns, and chamber-based experiments. They should have a highly focused objective and demonstrate advances in this area of research. Furthermore, data interpretation should be well supported by statistical test/s.
We invite authors to contribute to the following topics:
• Air pollution and public health in Asian cities
• Atmospheric chemistry and climate change in Asian cities
• Ground-based measurements, remote sensing observations, airborne measurements, chamber experiments, and the modelling of aerosols and trace gases in Asian cities
• Air pollution control technologies and natural green barrier observations in Asian cities
• The effects of climate change on Asian cities
The majority of the South and Southeast Asian population live in regions where the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines are not met, and exposure to high concentrations of air pollution leads to serious climate, ecological and health consequences. Asia represents one of the most densely populated regions in the world, and observes strong spatial and temporal heterogeneities in air-pollutant emissions. Air pollution is now the second largest cause of deaths in the region with 1 million deaths per year. Given its severity, it is a public health emergency and warrants immediate action. The links between air quality and human health are mediated by a complex interplay of physical, chemical, and dynamic processes at local, regional and synoptic scales. It is anticipated that the larger benefits of reducing air pollution will be for Asian countries as climate change is manifesting health impacts through multiple pathways including heat stress, season-specific haze, wider spread of infectious diseases, deteriorating air quality, malnutrition, and so on. Furthermore, rapid urbanization, unsustainable land-use planning, industrialization, open biomass burning and climate change effects such as temperature rise and perturbed hydrological cycle, can significantly impact the atmospheric chemistry and human health in Asian urban air-sheds.
Measurements and modelling studies of aerosols and trace gases suggest their potential impact on human health, radiative forcing, and climate change. Due to augmented emissions or foggy and hazy episodes in cities, we need to map air pollution to understand its ongoing processes and the factors influencing its spatial-temporal variability. Accurately monitoring aerosols and trace gases is vital in assessing their health impacts, source apportionment, evaluation of source emission control improvements, regulatory emission norms, and decision-making of new policies in the long run. Yet, limited ground-based observations across urban hotspots are hampering our understanding of the evolution, distribution, atmospheric transformation mechanism, and fate of air pollutants. Although the reporting of aerosol characteristics has significantly increased in the last few decades, our knowledge on aerosol radiative forcing is still inadequate, therefore causing uncertainty when estimating anthropogenic climate perturbations.
This Research Topic aims to cover the emission, transport, source, chemistry, and various effects of aerosols and trace gases in Asian cities with a synergy of field-based and remote sensing observations and modelling. We are particularly interested in articles based on state-of-the-art measurement techniques and modelling results showing scientific novelty. We would also like to cover the health effects of air pollutants in today’s context as they represent a major scientific concern. Articles submitted to this Research Topic can include studies based on modelling, long-term observations, short-term campaigns, and chamber-based experiments. They should have a highly focused objective and demonstrate advances in this area of research. Furthermore, data interpretation should be well supported by statistical test/s.
We invite authors to contribute to the following topics:
• Air pollution and public health in Asian cities
• Atmospheric chemistry and climate change in Asian cities
• Ground-based measurements, remote sensing observations, airborne measurements, chamber experiments, and the modelling of aerosols and trace gases in Asian cities
• Air pollution control technologies and natural green barrier observations in Asian cities
• The effects of climate change on Asian cities
