Core Project Offices SEATTLE, WASHINGTON TAIPEI, TAIWAN BOLOGNA, ITALY IGAC Science Plan & Implementation Strategy (English & Chinese)

				Current Projects Execution of the IGAC project Science Plan and Implementation Strategy (.pdf) is via four main pathways: Tasks: Tasks comprise research activities with a specific set of scientific goals that are achievable in a 3-4 year timeframe, with requirements around data accessibility, data QA/QC, multi-national inclusion, and capacity-building components. Tasks are proposed to and endorsed by the IGAC SSC and are reviewed annually and on as as-needed basis. See below for a list of current tasks. Workshops: IGAC periodically co-sponsors focused workshops on specialty topics. In most cases, there is a requirement that these workshops be structured to produce a tangible outcome, such as journal publication(s) or research plan(s). See meetings web page for a listing of upcoming and past workshops co-sponsored by IGAC. Initiatives: Initiatives are activities that add value to existing research by helping build collaborations across multiple research projects/groups or by providing an integrative framework under which targeted research can occur. Research for IGAC Initiatives are not funded by IGAC, but support is provided in the form of an organizational framework (e.g. workshops, IPO support of the activity, etc.). Members of the IGAC SSC or members of the IGAC community are invited to identify areas in atmospheric chemistry that are in need of such an organizational framework to help address high-priority, "big-picture" questions in atmospheric chemistry. See below for more information. Communications/Networking: This covers a myriad of activities, including biennial conferences, the IGACtivites newsletter (mailed to ~3500 researchers around the world), our web page, and miscellaneous networking activities conducted throughout the year. IGAC Initiatives AC&C: Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate Joint with WCRP-SPARC This initiative seeks to improve the representation of chemistry/climate interactions in models. For the first phase of AC&C (2006-2009), four main research activities have been identified, as have two cross-cutting activities. **Dec 10-14 AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA: IGAC/SPARC Session on Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate (A29)** See the AC&C web page for more information. ACPC: Aerosols, Clouds, Precipitation & Climate Joint with iLEAPS and GEWEX A workshop on October 8-10 2007 will convene key players from the IGAC, iLEAPS and GEWEX communities to discuss the current state of science and to put together a plan of action to make progress on the interactions between aerosols, clouds, precipitation and climate. For more information, email the IGAC or iLEAPS project office. Improving Representation of Wet Deposition Aqueous-phase processes play a crucial role in the chemical transformation and removal of constituents that are important in determining air quality, rain acidity, chemical reactions involving other components, and radiative balance in the Earth s atmosphere. However, accurate representation of these processes in regional and global models is plagued by a host of difficulties due to the complex interaction of meteorological, microphysical, and chemical processes involved. As described in a May, 2006 IGACtivites newsletter article, we are recruiting participants for an initiative to identify ways to improve our understanding of these processes and how they are represented in models. This activity will feed into the AC&C initiative (above). IGAC Tasks Researchers interested in a Task should contact the Task Coordinators. Contact information can be found by clicking on "Learn More..." under the Task of interest. AICI: Air-Ice Chemical Interactions It has only recently been realized that not only can surface snow and ice affect atmospheric chemistry, but atmospheric chemistry can also influence the snowpack. The AICI Task team seeks to document the full range of processes and trace gases that are exchanged at the air/ice and snow/ice interfaces by employing laboratory and field experiments and by using models. Key controlling processes and constituents will be determined in order that parameterizations can be formulated for implementation in global chemical models. AICI has been jointly endorsed by IGAC and SOLAS (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study; also an IGBP Core Project). Learn More about the AICI Task... Go to AICI web page at Purdue University ITCT-Lagrangian-2k4: Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation The primary goal of this Task is to understand the chemical transformation and removal processes of aerosols, oxidants and their precursors during the intercontinental transport process. ITCT-Lagrangian-2k4 specifically will use measurements from a field campaign taking place in Summer 2004 in the North Atlantic region. Although this campaign will not include true Lagrangian measurements, several U.S.-funded platforms will be making nearly simultaneous measurements in the northeast U.S. coastal region, while British, German and French platforms will be making measurements in the eastern north Atlantic. The ITCT Task Team's goal will be to facilitate platform coordination (during the campaign) and collaborative data analysis (post-campaign) such that a pseudo-Lagrangian analysis is possible. Learn More about the ITCT-2k4 Task... Mega-cities: Asia To date, many of the large-scale, coordinated measurements of aerosols and oxidants have taken place in regions well downwind of sources. However, it is only by making measurements near the sources that we will be able to accurately make the link between source emissions and regional-scale air quality and climate impacts. The Mega-cities: Asia Task Team's goal is to facilitate better coordination between groups making measurements of aerosols and oxidants in and around large cities in Asia. Their activities will include maintaining a centralized web page; holding periodic workshops to increase communication between reasearch groups; organizing instrument intercomparisons; and facilitating collaborative publications. The IGAC SSC hopes that this is the first in a series of Mega-cities Tasks to study emissions from each of the large city clusters around the globe. Learn More about the Mega-cities Task... Go to the Mega-cities:Asia web page at Univ. of Tokyo AMMA-AC: African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis - Atmospheric Chemistry AMMA is an international, integrated, multidisciplinary project that aims at addressing both fundamental scientific questions related to the understanding of the West African Monsoon (WAM) variability and the impacts and practical issues related to prediction and decision-making activity. The AMMA-AC proposal focuses on the atmospheric chemistry component of the AMMA project, specific aspects of which are part of the IGAC Task. Three scientific questions will be addressed within AMMA-AC: Question 1: What are the interactions between lightning, biomass burning, the biosphere, the ocean, human activity and growing urbanization which determine tropospheric ozone concentrations over Western Africa? Question 2: What are the interactions between dust, biomass burning, the biosphere, the ocean, human activity and growing urbanization which determine aerosol production and properties over Western Africa? Question 3: What is the role of deep convection, the monsoon circulation and other flow patterns in the transport and processing of these emissions and how do these emissions affect the dynamics of the WAM? Learn More about the IGAC AMMA-AC Task... Go to the AMMA International Project web page at Medias France DEBITS: Deposition of Biogeochemically Important Trace Species Wet and dry deposition of chemical species to the earth's surface plays an essential role in controlling the concentration of gases and aerosols in the troposphere. Recognizing this, the DEBITS program was initiated in 1990 under the first phase of IGAC. Measurements in three regions (Asia, Africa and Amazonia) were established, resulting in a strong network of international scientist producing comparable, quality-controlled data sets. These measurements will continue under Phase II of the DEBITS Task. In addition, there will be a focus on integrating the DEBITS data into the larger context of responses and feedbacks within the Earth System at both the regional and global scales. Learn More about the IGAC DEBITS Task... POLARCAT: Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate Chemistry, Aerosols and Transport This project is proposed as a component of the upcoming International Polar Year (March 2007-2009). POLARCAT seeks to study several phenomena unique to the polar regions, including: the Arctic Haze, a recurring winter/spring phenomenon resulting from long-range transport of anthropogenic pollution mostly from Europe and western Asia; summertime pollution in the Arctic, originating from forest fires prevalent in the boreal region; and chemical phenomena unique to the Arctic troposphere. All of these phenomena are strongly influenced by the coupling of surface exchange processes, vertical transport, unique Arctic air chemistry, and import from and export to mid-latitude regions. POLARCAT will use a a series of experiments involving aircraft, surface stations and ships. Measurements will be made at different times of the year in order to follow pollution plumes of different origins as they are transported into the Arctic and observe the chemistry, aerosol processes, and radiation effects of these plumes. The experiments will also take advantage of the long residence times of pollutants in the stably stratified Arctic atmosphere to study ageing. Models of differing complexity will be used to test our understanding of Arctic processes against the measurement data sets. Learn More about the IGAC POLARCAT Task... Go to the POLARCAT Project web page at the Norsk institutt for luftforskning (NILU; Norway) HitT: Halogens in the Troposphere Reactive halogen compounds (X, XO, X2, XY, OXO, HOX, XONO2, XNO2, where X,Y=Cl, Br, I) - in particular halogen oxides - are present in various domains throughout the troposphere. The primary objective of the project HitT is to determine and quantify the importance of reactive halogen compounds (RHCs) in tropospheric chemistry and climate forcing. Key themes are the influence of RHC on the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, the ozone budget, as well as in aerosol nucleation and growth. A comprehensive white paper (3.1 MByte .pdf) on the subject was used as the basis for this IGAC Task, which is co-endorsed by IGBP's SOLAS project. Learn More about the IGAC HitT Task... A Core Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) In Cooperation with IAMAS Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution Web page maintained by the Seattle IGAC office, which is located in NOAA PMEL's Atmospheric Chemistry Program (NOAA-PMEL). Disclaimer Privacy Policy Accessibility Statement