A Global Perspective

to Air Quality

Markku Kulmala

University of Helsinki

Department of Physics

1

Global warming

Biodiversity loss

Air quality

Fresh water

Epidemic diseases

Deforestification

Climatechange

Food supplies

Volcanoes

Earthquakes

Energy

Chemicalisation

Ocean acidification

Global Challenges

Demography2

ATM Center: Major Initiatives

• Contributes to Arctic/Boreal, Bioeconomy, Cleantech, Digitalization

• Global SMEAR Network -> COP 21

• Beautiful China: Solving Air Quality in China

• PEEX (Pan Eurasian Experiment)

• 4 Pilars– Research

– Infra

– Innovations

– Capacity Building / Knowledge Transfer 3

On Air Quality

• Health effects, visibility, acidification– Air pollution: ca 2 500 000 in China / 1500 in Finland people die

per year

• Air pollutant concentrations– China/Finland ~ 10 – 1000

• From outdoors to indoors– Indoor air quality

– We spend over 90% of our time indoors

• Multiple pollutants: PM2.5, PN, Black Carbon, O3, NOX, SO2, CO, VOCs– Interactions, feedbacks, complex system

• From understanding to solutions– Monitoring, understanding, protecting/controlling, solutions,

improving air quality

Comprehensive solutions for cleaner air

Solving air pollution problem in Megacities

Roadmap

From deep understanding to practical solutions

A. Continuous comprehensive observations• Flag ship stations, smog chambers,

satellites

• Meteorological situations / urban boundary layer

• Outdoor / indoor concentrations

B. Analysis• Emission source analysis

• Integration of all scale experimental and modelling results

C. Sustainable solutions / decisions• Economically effective structural

changes

No actionsFast and hasty

actions

Comprehensive

Holistic solutions

Continuous, comprehensive

observations

Urban

Lakes

Peatlands

Site for ICOS, ACTRIS,

INGOS, EXPEER, ANAEE,

LifeWatch, …Also WMO, EMEP,

CARBOEUROPE, NITROEUROPE,

EUCAARI, PEGASOS, …

Nanjing/ PILOT SMEAR IN CHINA: O3 and PM2.5

2015/8/19 SORPES - Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System 8

CO vs. NOyPM2.5 vs. O3

NOx control will increase O3

Secondary aerosols

Air Pollution - weather/climate interactions

2015/8/19 SORPES - Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System 9

June 10, 2012

PM2.5 :270 ug/m3

Observed vs. predicated air temperature Observed vs. predicted rainfall

Suggestion: Joint Research and Innovation Center for Air Quality

• Research

– From emissions to health via

atmospheric processes

• Research Infrastructure

– Lab, field, instruments, models

– Test beds

• Education / Knowledge Transfer

– Supra-disciplinary

– All directions

• Innovations

– Business – research connections

Applied Research

Innovations

SocietyPolicy

Basic Research

PEEX (Pan Eurasian Experiment)

2013 - 2033 (-2100)

www.atm.helsinki/peex

PEEX region

Station network, Marine, Airborne, remote sensing, multiscale modelling, Supradisciplinary

Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX)

• a bottom up initiative by several European, Russian and Chinese research organizations and institutes

• involving research communities from 20 different countries • 80 institutes

• started in 2012, set for years 2013-2033 (-2100) as a long-term continuing activity

VERY IMPORTANT AREA Crucial for global climate

Arctic, boreal

Albedo change

Carbon sink or source

Methane

Aerosol production

via BVOCs

Air quality

Energy production, minerals

Permafrost

Arctic Ocean

Socioetal issues

Technology

3.GLOBALIZATION

4. NATURAL

RESOURCES

1.DEMOGRAPHY

2.CLIMATE

CHANGE

NORTHERN PAN-EURASIAN REGION

BASELINE“THE NORTHERN REGIONS (> 45◦◦◦◦N) WILL UNDERGO SUBSTANTIAL

CHANGES DURING THE NEXT 40 YEARS ” ref. L. Smith 2010

PEEX STRUCTURE

AIMS OF PEEX FOCUS AREAS (F1-F2-F3-F4)

I. scientific understanding of land-atmosphere-ocean-urban processes &

feedbacks -> holistic research approach (RESEARCH -F1)

II. coherent, coordinated in-situ ground based observations systems & the remote

sensing applications (INFRASTRUCTURE -F2)

III. Building the foundation for reliable and sustainable risk management, adaptation

and mitigation planning and early warning systems( SOCIETY PEEX-F3)

IV. education of the next generation of scientists, engineers and technical staff

(KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER -F4)

I. scientific understanding of land-atmosphere-ocean-urban processes &

feedbacks -> holistic research approach (RESEARCH -F1)

II. coherent, coordinated in-situ ground based observations systems & the remote

sensing applications (INFRASTRUCTURE -F2)

III. Building the foundation for reliable and sustainable risk management, adaptation

and mitigation planning and early warning systems( SOCIETY PEEX-F3)

IV. education of the next generation of scientists, engineers and technical staff

(KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER -F4)

PEEX is networking globally

PEEX

FUTURE EARTH

IGPB

iLEAPS

ARCTIC

COUNCIL

IIASA

IEASGEOSS

SAON

WMO

SILK

ROAD

PEEX implements the strategic tasks of the Sustainable

Earth System Manifesto in the Northern Eurasian region

Manifesto

- Global agenda

PEEX

- Northern agenda

1. To deliver observations of the critical

environment parameters worldwide

1. Conceptual design of the land-

atmosphere observation network for the

Northern regions, especially for Russia,

as a part of the global SMEAR station

(COP21) in process.

2. To evoke a political consensus to

overcome various geopolitical interests & to

prioritize sustainable living conditions in

different parts of the world

2. Accepted as an arctic - boreal hub in a

frame of coordination of the Earth

System research & observation activities

(Future Earth, GEOSS).

3. To provide sustainable technological

solutions for Grand Challenges, by which we

are able to moderate environmental changes

3. Example: Conceptual design for solving

air pollution challenge in China including

solutions for the measurement technique

(Beautiful China / Beijing) in process.

Lakes Peatlands

SMEAR contributes to ICOS, ACTRIS, INGOS, EXPEER, ANAEE, LifeWatch, …

Also WMO, EMEP, CARBOEUROPE, NITROEUROPE, EUCAARI, PEGASOS, …

CONTINUOUS, COMPREHENSIVE OBSERVATIONS

10/08/15 18

Global SMEAR – the integrated approach

Currently

Observations

(see IPCC 2013)

are fragmented

into:

1) Greenhouse

gases

2) Aerosols

3) Air quality

4) Ecosystems

5) …

We need an

integrated

approach!

Global SMEAR - 2020

Elements of the integrated network to address interlinked Grand Challenges:

• In-situ observations – Comprehensive, Continuous, 24/7

– Adaptive and developing

– Harmonized network of stations

– Hierarchical station network (flagship, intermediate, standard)

– Network-wide inversion and assimilation

• Remote Sensing - satellites and ground-based

• Multiscale-modelling

• science-driven integration with understanding of feedbacks and interactions

Network will provide :– Comprehensive open big data

– Innovation (markets, products) and growth opportunities

– Policy-relevant understanding of the Earth system as a whole to supervise/verify COP21 implementation and to enable evidence based policy making

10/08/15 20

Global SMEAR - network of research Infrastructures

“filling the in-situ observational gaps in the world with a station

network to provide comprehensive policy relevant data”

WMO GAW Aerosol Network

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/aerosol.html

PEEX preliminary station networkwww.atm.helsinki.fi/peex

10/08/15 21

Global SMEAR - investments

• Investments 4 000 MEUR

• Global contributions

– EU ≈ 1 000 MEUR

– China ≈ 1 000 MEUR

– Russia ≈ 1 000 MEUR

– US/Canada ≈ 1 000 MEUR

• Annual costs around 10% of investments

10/08/15 22

Global SMEAR roadmap and timing

Year 1 Year2 Year 3 Year 4 Year n

Mapping existing

infras and activities

Planning and construction

Operational phase and further developments

Data banks, data flows

Political use

Scientific results

Summary

• IPCC / Changing Climate

• SMEAR (1991 -)

• PEEX (Pan Eurasian Experiment)– Stations over Russia + Artic/Boreal + China

• Beautiful Beijing / China– Solving air quality in China

– Sino-Finnish Research and Innovation Center• Comprehensive observation station network

• Supradisciplinary research

• Innovations

• Capacity building, Knowledge transfer

• Global SMEAR -> COP21, …

• Air Quality – Climate Interactions10/08/15 24