Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MACSECH (Megacity Aerosol Composition by Satellite: A tool to study anthropogenic Emissions, Climate change and human Health)
Reporting period: 2021-07-15 to 2023-07-14
The overall objective was to study the aerosol composition in MPC by combining different data sources, including aircraft measurements, satellite data and numerical atmospheric simulations. The hypothesis underlying the project’s objective was that it is possible to exploit statistical relationships between aerosols and gases to obtain information on aerosol composition, for which there is no direct satellite product. Understanding the aerosol composition in MPC is essential, as these urban areas are major sources of anthropogenic emissions and human health risks.
Secondly, the project has analyzed the spatio-temporal variability of aerosol and gas concentrations in MPC and their plumes. The project results have shown the importance of land-sea interactions on atmospheric circulation, and thus on pollutant transport in regions like Sao Paulo (doi:10.1029/2022JD038179) and the Guinean coast (doi:10.5194/acp-23-15507-2023). The results also highlighted the importance of air quality model ensemble and of refining emission estimates for improving air quality forecasting.
Thirdly, the project has provided a comprehensive investigation of the proportional relationships between aerosols and gases. Analysis of aircraft measurements showed that aerosol variability is significantly related to gases in MPC pollution plumes, indicating the potential to derive aerosol composition from gas composition data (doi:10.5194/egusphere-2024-521).
The results of the project have significant implications for assessing and mitigating the impacts of air pollution on human health and climate change. The improved understanding of aerosol composition in MPC is needed to prevent health risks related to air quality and to contribute to a better understanding of the Earth system to tackle global warming.
Overall, the MSCA-MACSECH project has made substantial progress towards its overarching goal of advancing the scientific knowledge and practical tools needed to address the critical challenge of understanding atmospheric aerosol composition and its consequences for society.