Overview
This successful meeting builds upon the prestigious outcomes of the 21 preceding conferences beginning in Monterrey, Mexico in 1993 and the most recent ones taking place in A Coruña, Spain in 2012 and Siena, Italy 2013.
The meetings have attracted outstanding contributions from leading researchers from around the world. The reviewed papers selected for presentation and included in the conference book have been permanently stored in the WIT eLibrary as WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, volume 183 (http://library.witpress.com/). These collected papers provide an important record of the developments of science and policy pertaining to air pollution.
The Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution conferences have attracted a global audience of academics and air pollution practitioners who, through their papers and presentations, have contributed to the evolving understanding of the science and policy contexts of air pollution.
The conference continues to meet the demands of a unique audience through the quality of the science and policy presented at the meetings and the publication format. The series has discussed important air pollution issues at an international, national and local level, and by virtue of the international composition of the delegates, has brought to the discussion a unique suite of perspectives. The conference findings and conclusions enjoy a wide and rapid dissemination amongst the air pollution science and policy communities.
The Conference series has demonstrated that the management of air pollution is one of the most challenging problems facing the international community. Discussions in the series have explored the wide spread nature of the Air Pollution phenomenon and the impacts on human health and the environment. The conference addresses a wide range of air pollution issues and challenges, but a particular strength of the series has been the attention given to regulatory and, more recently, market solutions to air pollution management.
Opening of the Conference
Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of the Wessex Institute and Co-Chairman of the conference, opened the meeting. He explained WIT’s aim of acting as a medium for knowledge transfer which is achieved in different ways, ie through courses, conferences and other training activities, as well as research. The Institute has been particularly successful in developing a set of computer programmes which are now widely applied in engineering analysis and design. The main area of application at present is with petroleum and aerospace industries, where the code – called BEASY- is well established.WIT Press, the publishing arm of the Institute provides a substantial number of books and journals every year, including the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning; presenters at the conference were encouraged to submit a post conference paper to the Journal.
Carlos described the wide network of WIT researchers and specialists throughout the world, in addition to its own staff in the New Forest National Park. The campus is located in the south of England in an area of outstanding beauty which Carlos invited the delegates to visit when in the region. WIT – Carlos explained – is always happy to show visitors the facilities on the campus so that they can have a better idea of how the Institute fulfils its objectives.
The Conference sessions opened with a paper by Prof James Longhurst and Dr Jo Barnes, both of The University of the West of England. The talk was given by Dr Barnes and entitled “Study of ozone concentrations and trends across Europe 1996 to 2010”. The work which was supported by the EU demonstrated that the trends are not consistent across Europe where the problem of Air Pollution is particularly complex. It may be necessary to adapt the policies to the realities of different countries rather than aim for a common policy.
Invited Presentations
Other invited presentations were as follows:- “Diurnal variation and vertical distribution of carbonaceous aerosols in the southern part of Thailand” by Siwatt Pongpiachan, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand.
- “Air quality, climate change and resilience in the Porto urban area” by Carlos Borrego, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
- “Has implementation of Local Air Quality Management reduced local nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the UK?” by Jo Barnes, The University of the West of England, UK.
- “Seasonal trends of indoor particulate matter concentrations in a naturally ventilated school building” by S M Shiva Nagendra, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India.
Conference Topics
The papers were divided into a series of topics, as follows:- Air pollution modelling
- Monitoring and measuring
- Aerosols and particles
- Exposure and health effects
- Emission studies
- Air quality and management
- Indoor air pollution
- Case studies
ISAC Dinner
The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) met over dinner to discuss the forthcoming Air Pollution 2015 due to take place in Valencia, and how to improve the meeting in 2016. The meeting continues to attract young researchers as well as better established colleagues. This is a good sign that indicates the conference scope for continuous evolution. Several new names were nominated for the committee and several possible locations were discussed. The choice of Opatija was found to be excellent for a scientific conference, while the 2016 meetings ought to be held in a location well served by one or more international airports and in a country with agile visa requirements.Conference Dinner
The conference banquet was another occasion for the delegates to build stronger links. It consisted of a boat trip followed by a sit down dinner in beautiful surroundings.The boat trip took the delegates around Opatija bay so that they could appreciate the hills, summer houses and hotels that cover the slopes and the shore. Then they had a glass of Spumante and some canapés.
Upon disembarkation the delegates were taken to a restored residence known for its paintings, prints and other works of art, and from there proceeded to the restaurant where the dinner was to take place. This was an old house, beautifully restored, facing the bay. The dinner took place in a room whose walls were covered in paintings. There they had an outstanding meal consisting of Croatian specialities and accompanied by local wines and music of the region. The dishes included pasta, beef and home-made ice cream.
The evening was most enjoyable and helped to consolidate the links between the participants.
Closing of the Conference
The conference was closed by Carlos who again thanked the delegates for their participation and the presenters for the quality of their papers. He also expressed his appreciation to the members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee whose review work was essential to ensure the quality of the conference.Conference Proceedings
The proceedings of Air Pollution 2014 – Air Pollution XXII, 420pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-782-7; eISBN: 978-1-84564-783-4) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 183 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
