Air quality and climate change are two major environmental challenges facing society. We tackle these problems by advancing knowledge of the processes leading to harmful emissions, gaining insights into the consequences of emissions, and developing understanding of effective intervention measures, including regulation and governance approaches.
Our expertise covers the following sub-disciplines:
Urban air quality (especially leapfrogging technologies and developing countries)
Trace compounds important for human health
Waste and landfill emissions
Agricultural and soil emissions
Natural emissions from forests and oceans
Atmospheric dispersion modelling
Translation of research outputs into practical implementation measures
Regulatory, policy and governance approaches.
Working with us
Our emphasis is on making a difference. To combat the environmental challenges we face, we need to develop the knowledge, skills and tools to deliver real change, globally. Our focus therefore is on supporting developing countries through knowledge-sharing bilateral arrangements and research funding.
We also work with various Research Councils as well as the Newton Fund.
Our facilities
The bulk of our work takes place in the Centre for Atmospheric Informatics and Emissions Technology, a £3m joint investment between the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), and Cranfield University. This provides a focal point for research active staff, as well as being a shared home with the like-minded researchers at the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) based at Cranfield.
Applications
Within this Centre, we have the capability to measure a wide range of trace gas emissions using advanced gas analysis instrumentation, small sensors and laser-based systems. We can also develop new low costs sensors and network approaches and find solutions using air quality models; these are being applied to international issues as diverse as landfill emissions and air quality.
Clients and partners
We work with a range of partner organisations, including:
UK academic partners (NCAS FAAM research aircraft co-located in Cranfield, Universities of Aberdeen, Cambridge, East Anglia, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, York, and Royal Holloway, University of London);
