Qi's Air Quality Modeling and Atmospheric Chemistry Group

According to the World Health Organization, 90% of the world’s population is breathing contaminated air, and 4.2 million people worldwide are killed annually due to ambient air pollution. Air pollution also causes reduced crop yields by 5-12% globally, with an estimated economic loss of up to 20 billion US dollars per year. Our research focuses on developing and applying science-based data-driven modeling tools to clarify the impacts of emissions from human activities on air quality so that governments can make informed regulatory decisions to mitigate air pollution. In particular, we are currently actively working on the following research areas:

Atmospheric chemistry – Our group uses photochemical models to improve our understanding of the atmospheric chemistry related to ozone and particulate air pollution: (1) detailed gas phase and aqueous phase chemical mechanism and their implementation/application in regional air quality models; (2) heterogeneous reactions and the formation of secondary organic aerosol; (3) chlorine chemistry in polluted urban atmospheres.

Source apportionment of air pollution – Accurately quantifying the contributions of different emission sources to air pollutant concentrations is essential for policymakers to design cost-effective emission controls.  Our group develops advanced air quality models to determine the contributions of various emission sources (e.g., industries and transportation) and source regions to ozone, fine particulate matter, and other toxic air pollutants that affect human and ecosystem health.

Health impacts of air pollution – Our group develops and applies air quality models to help environmental epidemiologists and ecologists relate air pollution exposure to adverse outcomes of air pollution on population and ecosystems. We are currently working on (1) modeling and source apportionment of toxic air pollutants such as PAHs and heavy metals, (2) forest exposure to urban air pollution, and (3) deposition of nitrogen and sulfur in nature reserves and national parks.