Air quality and atmospheric processes

IDAEA’s internationally leading atmospheric research combines expertise in atmospheric chemistry, emission sources, exposure assessment, environmental geochemistry and mineralogy to address some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our research advances understanding of air quality and its impacts on ecosystems, climate, and human health.

Our work is organised around six main research areas:  

Air quality indicators and policy.
Development of novel air-quality indicators and AI-based tools to support policy development and sustainable urban planning.

Emission sources and source apportionment.
Characterisation of vehicle (including non-exhaust) and industrial emissions, their environmental impacts, source apportionment and mitigation strategies.

Indoor air quality and exposure.
Assessment of indoor air quality and occupational exposure, with a focus on the health risks associated with nanoparticles and other chemicals of concern.

Atmospheric aerosols and transformation processes.
Investigation of atmospheric organic aerosols, their primary sources, the precursors of secondary organic aerosols and the chemical processes that transform them in the atmosphere.

Climate-relevant aerosol properties.
Study of the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols, focusing on climate-relevant particles such as black carbon, brown carbon and mineral dust.

Atmospheric chemistry and climate interactions.
Research on aerosols, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone and other trace-gases, and their role in atmospheric chemistry, aerosol formation, ecosystem interactions and climate change.