TOAR
York researcher contributes to global ozone assessment
Workshop in Beijing to review scientific findings
SEI Researcher Chris Malley is participating in the 3rd workshop of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR, http://www.igacproject.org/TOAR/).
Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas and pollutant detrimental to human health and affects crop and ecosystem productivity. Since 1990 the source of anthropogenic emissions leading to the formation of ozone has moved from North America and Europe to Asia. As a consequence of this and also due to limited ozone monitoring in developing nations, scientists are unable to answer key questions such as: Which regions of the world have the greatest human and plant exposure to ozone pollution? Is ozone continuing to decline in nations with strong emission controls? To what extent is ozone increasing in the developing world? How can the atmospheric sciences community facilitate access to the ozone metrics necessary for quantifying ozone's impact on human health and crop/ecosystem productivity?
Therefore, TOAR is being produced to answer these through the development of an assessment report based on expert opinion and analysis, and the generation of a range of ozone metrics at hundreds of sites around the world.
The major goals of TOAR are
1. Produce the first tropospheric ozone assessment report based on the peer-reviewed literature and new analyses.
2. Generate easily accessible, documented data on ozone exposure and dose metrics at hundreds of measurement sites around the world (urban and non-urban), freely accessible for research on the global-scale impact of ozone on climate, human health and crop/ecosystem productivity.
The aim of the workshop is to review the first draft of the report, to identify the major scientific finding and to guide the preparation of the second draft. Chris is contributing to the chapter describing the health, vegetation and climate metrics being used in TOAR, and understanding how these metrics respond to changes in the distribution of ozone concentrations.
Contact Chris Malley for further information