Predictions of Chemical Weather in Asia: The EU Panda Project

Abstract:

Air quality has become a pressing problem in Asia and specifically in China due to rapid economic development (i.e., rapidly expanding motor vehicle fleets, growing industrial and power generation activities, domestic and biomass burning). In spite of efforts to reduce chemical emissions, high levels of particle matter and ozone are observed and lead to severe health problems with a large number of premature deaths. To support efforts to reduce air pollution, the European Union is supporting the PANDA project whose objective is to use space and surface observations of chemical species as well as advanced meteorological and chemical models to analyze and predict air quality in China. The Project involves 7 European and 7 Chinese groups. The paper will describe the objectives of the project and present some first accomplishments. The project focuses on the improvement of methods for monitoring air quality from combined space and in-situ observations, the development of a comprehensive prediction system that makes use of these observations, the elaboration of indicators for air quality in support of policies, and the development of toolboxes for the dissemination of information.