NCAS Air Pollution
Lead Research Organisation:
National Centre for Atmospheric Science
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Adedeji A
(2023)
Measurement report: Assessment of Asian emissions of ethane and propane with a chemistry transport model based on observations from the island of Hateruma
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Ajith T
(2023)
Formation pathways of organic aerosols over a tropical coastal atmosphere
in Atmospheric Environment
Alexander B
(2020)
Global inorganic nitrate production mechanisms: comparison of a global model with nitrate isotope observations
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
An H
(2023)
Soils are a non-negligible source of NO in a UK suburban greenspace and SE Australian Eucalyptus forest
in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
| Description | Air pollution is a multi-faceted problem that impacts on people, ecosystems and food production and is predicted over the next decade to become the largest cause of global preventable death. NCAS places this environmental problem at the heart of its science strategy, working and thinking globally, whilst actively fulfilling its role in providing critical independent scientific advice to the UK government. The particular focus for NCAS is air pollution in the context of people and public health, working closely with others on the impacts of pollution on the natural environment and agricultural systems. A major achievement has been the substantial NCAS contributions to the £11m NERC Air Pollution and Human Health (APHH) programme and £25M UKRI Clean Air Analysis and Solutions programme, including large community field experiments in Beijing and Delhi in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and in the UK during 2021 and 2022. These illustrate the national role that NCAS plays in delivering air pollution science with global reach. The science highlights of this work include the identification of a novel VOC-NOx chemical environment in Beijing with major implications of future emission controls, the elucidation of a direct feedback between aerosol pollution and the worsening of air quality through stable boundary layers, and quantification of the role of biogenic emissions in summertime to urban aerosol pollution. NCAS has delivered on its strategy goals for developing new technologies, publishing >40 papers on new and improved methods for chemical analysis of particles and gases and pioneering in the emerging field of low-cost sensors. NCAS has worked with industry to quantify and attribute pollution to sources, leading to multiple patent submissions and commercialisation. A particular achievement has been the methodology to quantify urban fluxes of pollution emissions, now routinely undertaken at the NCAS observatory on the BT Tower. There has been growth in research related to net zero and its impacts, the effects of combustion of new fuels in fields such as domestic boilers and aviation, and studies on indoor air quality. In 2021 multiple contributions have been made to understanding air quality in the UK, the interaction between pollution and COVID-19 and the development of new targets for air quality included in the Environment Act. In 2022 further findings have been used in contributions to policy reports on indoor air quality and to the Chief Medical Officer's 2022 annual report on air pollution. |
| Exploitation Route | The work is used widely by government departments, including Defra, BEIS and DfT as well as international bodies such as WMO and UNEP. The work is cited in House of Commons reports on air pollution, and in recent summaries of science by WMO and UNEP. The expectation is that research dissemination through users leads ultimately to better evidence informed policy and more effective actions to improve air quality. The work has been particularly influential in guiding new regulatory targets for air quality in the UK. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Description | The NCAS air pollution programme contributes knowledge across a wide domain and informs policy and action to improve air quality. Results from this programme are incorporated into multiple reports by BEIS and Defra and used for UK and international air quality policy development. In recent years this includes informing plans to reduce NO2 at the roadside through the introduction of improved tailpipe exhaust controls and traffic management approaches such as low emission zones. The work produced by the NCAS programme has supported international efforts to track trends in global pollution including through the use of long-term observations, such as from our Cape Verde and Weybourne observatories and from the FAAM aircraft. NCAS has completed a range of different short term studies of air pollution processes of relevance to low and middle income countries, including major field deployments in China and India. In both these projects the outcomes of research have ben used to support local efforts to manage pollution at source, through improved source apportionment, particularly of PM2.5 and NOx. Measurements of VOcs and precursors to ozone have been used to help develop country-specific recommendations for control measures that minimise ozone formation and that reflect unique atmospheric conditions and emissions mixtures. NCAS has also completed a range of research on issues associated with indoor pollution that have been incorporated into expert advisory reports by the UK Chief Medical officer and the Royal College of Physicians. A range of short term contributions made to the Government response to COVID-19 including a rapid evidence review of air quality COVID-19 interactions, report to SAGE on links to mortality in the UK, and collaboration with the ONS on AQ and COVID-19 mortality risk. Contributions made to a range of reports to UK government on issues associated air pollution, including reports via the Air Quality Expert Group, and evidence directly to House of Commons select committees. Contributions made to the Bill Scrutiny committee of the House of Commons for the Environment Bill (2019-2021). The work has led to reports to government on indoor air quality, VOCs in the UK atmosphere, future of ozone and net zero impacts on air quality. The work has supported a range of partnerships, both public and private sector. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Environment,Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Advice on ozone controls in Beijing |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Improved advice on the necessary policy controls to limit ozone growth in Beijing and surrounding regions and in particular the need to increase the pace of reductions of VOCs, relative to NOx. Possible measures include limited solvent use from industrial sources near the city centre. |
| Description | Chapter 3, the future of air pollution, in Chief Medical Officers report 2022 Department of Health and Social Care |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Advice on the future impacts of net zero policy on air quality and how net zero investment in the UK may be used to also improve public health. |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124... |
| Description | Does exposure to air pollution increase the risk of dying from the coronavirus (COVID-19)? |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Contributions to a report by ONS on the impacts of air quality on COVID-19 mortality rates in the UK |
| URL | https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/doesexposuretoairpollutionincreasether... |
| Description | Environment Bill - environmental targets |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Environment Bill - environmental targets - cited in a Government policy paper |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-bill-2020/august-2020-environment-bill-enviro... |
| Description | Estimation of changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Leadership of Defra report on air quality changes during the COVID19 pandemic |
| URL | https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=1005 |
| Description | Evidence to Bill Scrutiny Committee House of Commons, Environment Bill |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Evidence provided to the Bill Scrutiny committee of the House of Commons during the second reading of the Environment Bill |
| URL | https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2019-21/environment/stages.html |
| Description | Evidence to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee of the House of Commons |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Oral and written evidence to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee of the House of Commons |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/823/default/ |
| Description | Impacts of Net Zero pathways on future air quality in the UK |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Defra report on the links between net zero policy and air quality |
| URL | https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=1002 |
| Description | Impacts on the Defra 2019 Clean Air Strategy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Multiple NCAS staff contributions to the Defra Air Quality Expert Group and advisory committee to UK government generating reports that determine the scientific basis for policy on air pollution controls. |
| Description | Review of monitoring methods for VOCs in UK ambient air |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Review and development of future methods for the improved measurement of VOCs in UK ambient air, part of regulatory monitoring undertaken by Defra. |
| Description | Volatile Organic Compounds in the United Kingdom |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Review for Defra of Volatile Organic Compounds in the United Kingdom |
| URL | https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=1003 |
| Description | Actively anticipating the unintended consequences on air quality of future public policies (ANTICIPATE) |
| Amount | £19,343 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/T001739/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2019 |
| End | 02/2023 |
| Description | Atmospheric Composition and Radiative forcing changes due to UN International Ship Emissions regulations (ACRUISE) |
| Amount | £363,917 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/S004467/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2019 |
| End | 02/2024 |
| Description | Atmospheric Composition and Radiative forcing effects_due to UN International Ship Emissions regulations |
| Amount | £136,219 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/S004564/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 01/2024 |
| Description | Atmospheric reactive nitrogen cycling over the ocean |
| Amount | £618,334 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/S000518/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Continuous chemical speciation of Asian VOC emissions for understanding the growth of surface ozone in East Asia |
| Amount | £439,088 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/S012273/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Integrated Research Observation System for Clean Air (OSCA) |
| Amount | £762,940 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/T001917/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2019 |
| End | 02/2023 |
| Description | STFC Air Quality Network+ |
| Amount | £487,453 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S005366/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2019 |
| End | 06/2023 |
| Title | Master Chemical Mechanism |
| Description | Master Chemical Mechanism is an explicit model of atmospheric chemistry used as a benchmark standard globally for simulated gas phase chemistry. It underpins multiple regulatory models and activities. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Model is used world-wide as the gold-standard atmospheric mechanism against which simplified mechanisms for regional chemical transport models are then compared. |
| URL | http://mcm.leeds.ac.uk/MCM/ |
| Description | BEIS CS-N0W climate services |
| Organisation | Ricardo UK Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Contract with Ricardo plc to deliver insights and evidence on the impacts of net zero policies and technologies on air quality. Reports including hydrogen fuels, aviation and diesel replacement fuels. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contract with Ricardo plc to deliver insights and evidence on the impacts of net zero policies and technologies on air quality. Reports including hydrogen fuels, aviation and diesel replacement fuels. |
| Impact | Report on the use of SAF and other alternative fuels for aviation. Report on decarbonisation of diesel engines with H2 co-fuelling. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with National Institute for Environment Studies, Japan |
| Organisation | National Institute for Environmental Studies |
| Country | Japan |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Joint project to undertake atmospheric monitoring at the NIES observatory at the Haterama Island observatory, Japan. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint operation of instrument, provision of facilities in Japan. Supply of instrumentation and joint working on modelling and data analysis. |
| Impact | Joint working to complete a state of the art instrument for the measurement of volatile organic compounds in remote oceanic air. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Defra Air Quality Expert Group |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | NCAS and Defra undertake a long-term partnership to support the translation of air pollution science into UK policy and action by government and Local Authorities. This is facilitated by joint academic appointments and the long-term support of the Air Quality Expert Group, the independent source of advice to UK government on issues related to air pollution. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Defra are the government department responsible for air quality in the UK and also the UK compliance with international obligations relating to treaties such as the national Emissions Ceiling Directive and the UNECE Gothenburg protocol. Defra provides financial support to NCAS for joint academic appointments and also provides secretariat services and support to AQEG, which is chaired by NCAS. In combination NCAS staff, through the air pollution programme, and Defra publish a range of scientific reports and advisory notes of air pollution that are used widely in government to inform policy and action, most recently the 2019 Clean Air Strategy. |
| Impact | See multiple reports at: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/aqeg/publications |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Indoor air pollution assessment |
| Organisation | Givaudan |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Development and application of methods to assess air pollution in UK homes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of product devices and access to panel cohort to allow for testing in 60 homes in UK. |
| Impact | Papers on indoor air pollution and emissions: DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EM00444E DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EM00504E |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Report to Defra on Indoor Air Quality |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Report to Defra on Indoor Air Quality with contributions from NCAS staff members via the Air Quality Expert Group |
| Collaborator Contribution | Report to Defra on Indoor Air Quality with contributions from NCAS staff members via the Air Quality Expert Group |
| Impact | https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=1101 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Title | Designs for the calibration of OVOCs in humid matrices |
| Description | A design and software for an analytical device that allows the generation of low concentrations of polar OVOC compounds in ambient air has been developed. This has been licensed to an instrument manufacturer and is now offered for sale worldwide. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Copyrighted (e.g. software) |
| Year Protection Granted | 2019 |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | Licensing income of £60,000 has been received, plus an unkind donation of a new £200,000 mass spectrometry instrument |
| Title | Monolithic Clustered Senor Air Pollution System / Sensor System |
| Description | A microfluidic device for the measurement of air pollutants based on clusters of electrochemical and optical sensors in an array, with low power and high fault tolerance characteristics. |
| IP Reference | P199503.GB.01 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2020 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Open source version being developed for use in low income countries. |
| Title | Water Abstraction Device for atmospheric monitoring |
| Description | Atmospheric technology used for water removal in gas phase air pollution samples commercialised by Markes International. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Protection not required |
| Year Protection Granted | |
| Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
| Impact | new products brought to market that is going to become the new US EPA standard reference method for VOC monitoring within the US air pollution network. |
| Title | Development of cluster sensor technology for robust air quality measurement in low income countries |
| Description | A clustered sensor device for the measurement of air pollution in low income countries based around parallelised electrochemical sensors for the quantification of NO, NO2, O3, CO, CO2 and SO2. The device has low power requirements, and a high fallout tolerance through the use of redundancy in all parts of the detection system. |
| Type Of Technology | Detection Devices |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | Being used to support measurements in the UK urban supersites and as part of a GCRF translation award. Patent application pending. |
| Title | Master Chemical Mechanism |
| Description | An open source model for the explicit modelling of gas phase air pollution, used I more than 40 countries and with several thousand registered users. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Used and referenced in more the 2500 scientific publications and supports policy development in many different countries around the world, including US, China and Australia. |
| URL | http://mcm.york.ac.uk |
| Description | Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus infection - All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to an event: Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus infection - The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Air Pollution |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://appgairpollution.org/2020/05/29/air-quality-strategy-to-reduce-coronavirus-infection/ |
| Description | Amid devastation covid-19 provides glimpse of a future with cleaner air. The Economist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Authored article : Amid devastation covid-19 provides glimpse of a future with cleaner air. The Economist |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/healthcare/amid-devastation-covid-19-provides-glimpse-future-c... |
| Description | BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth (Lockdown Planet) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth (Lockdown Planet). Interview used on radio 4. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tcd4 |
| Description | BBC Radio 4. Sliced Bread |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview and programme on BBC Radio 4, Sliced Bread. Programme about the effectiveness of air purifiers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001882z |
| Description | Coronavirus: Lockdown prompts clear fall in UK air pollution. BBC report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Coronavirus: Lockdown prompts clear fall in UK air pollution. BBC report |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52113695 |
| Description | Discussion of clean air strategy Radio 4 Inside Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview of Ally lewis for a discussion of UK government clean air strategy on Radio 4 Inside science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00021r4 |
| Description | Inside Science BBC Radio 4 programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview on Low emission zones, archived a podcast by Radio 4. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07vkkjh |
| Description | Interview - BBC Radio 4 World at One - Low emission zones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview - BBC Radio 4 World at One - Low emission zones |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Participation in workshop on low cost sensor approaches for LMICs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentations and panel discussion of applications of low cost sensors for air quality monitoring at WMO-led international event on future technologies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Regulating Air Quality - A Discussion on the UNEP Report on Governing Air Pollution Around the World |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Regulating Air Quality - A Discussion on the UNEP Report on Governing Air Pollution Around the World |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Royal Society / Centre for Science and Policy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Royal Society / Centre for Science and Policy,. Senior civil service briefing on air quality, climate change and net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | What we do and don't know about the links between air pollution and coronavirus. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | What we do and don't know about the links between air pollution and coronavirus - article via The Conversation, and reproduced via other outlets. More than 30,000 unique readers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://airqualitynews.com/2020/05/13/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-links-between-air-pollution... |