| Session Details | |
| Section | AS - Atmospheric Sciences |
| Session Title | Satellite Remote Sensing Methods and Data Applications for Air Quality Monitoring and Research in Asia |
| Main Convener | Dr. Pawan Gupta (Universities Space Research Association/ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, United States) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Robert Levy (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, United States) Prof. Jhoon Kim (Yonsei University, Korea, South) Dr. Sachin Ghude (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, India) Dr. Lok Lamsal (Universities Space Research Association/ NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, United States) |
| Session Description | Air pollution in Asia is a major environmental concern. The ever-growing population and human activities have led to a rapid and continuous increase in the emission of aerosols and its precursor gasses in the past several decades. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that 92% of the world population lives where air quality levels exceed the WHO limits. The same report also claims that about 3 million annual deaths are linked to ambient air pollution, and 50% contribution to deaths comes from India and China alone. Air pollution monitoring, especially in developing countries, is sparse. This is a major problem for forecasting severe air quality episodes, as well as monitoring exposure for millions of people. However, in the past few decades, there have been great advancements in the ability for satellites to provide information about air pollution, including the regions that are not well-served by ground monitors. Therefore, the ever-expanding satellite database has provided opportunities to investigate air quality trends, source identification, and quantify impacts on visibility and human health. We seek papers that describe the theory and development of satellite-based aerosols and trace gasses (NO2, SO2, CH4, O3, CO, and others) observations as well as their applications for characterizing and monitoring air quality over Asia. Applications could, for instance, include determining seasonal and long-term trends, relating the satellite observations to surface measurements, and using them for model development, improvement, assimilation, and validation. Also, we welcome discussions about fire/smoke and dust monitoring and the associated impacts on air quality, visibility, and health. |