EGS4067F - Air Quality Monitoring, Management And Prediction

Course Outline:

Compromised air quality is a major environmental concern, especially in urban environments and even more so in cities in developing parts of the world. This course explores the current state of global air quality but with a focus on examples and case studies from the global south, particularly Africa. We will investigate the factors and role players that have an influence on air quality, the distribution of polluted versus clean air and the impacts on people and the environment. This module will look at the different scales at which people are exposed to poor air quality and the data and tools we use to study and monitor the atmosphere at these different scales and explore the potential for locally developed interventions and solutions. We will also look at air quality management and how the current socio-economic situation is reflected in this space with specific reference to South and southern Africa. Students will be expected to identify an air quality issue of their choice, find and interpret relevant literature, appropriate datasets and methods and produce results which will culminate in a short research report with recommendations for interventions that can potentially result in improvements in the air quality at receptor sites.