CENTER for ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, IIT BOMBAY
WORKSHOP ON
Air QUALITY: Modelling the Global Transport and Transformation of Toxic Substances
Wednesday, 16th Feb 2011
9.00 am: Registration
9:30 am –11:30 am (with 15 min tea break)
· Toxics transport – how is the global link established
· Why should it be a concern to various regions of the world?
· Is modeling an appropriate tool to understand global transport
· What level of detail/sophistication would be required in such models & why?
· Some theoretical considerations
· Discussion, Q&A
11:30 am -1:00 pm
· Short presentations (5-10 mins each) by students on their interests & current projects (Masters, PhD)
1:00 pm – 2.00 pm: Lunch break
2:00 pm – 5.00 pm (with 15 min tea break)
· Modelling the global transport of Lindane (a pesticide)
· Will include discussion of the toxicity of earlier versions of this pesticide
· What are India
· Discussion, Q&A
Thursday, 17th Feb 2011
2.00 pm - 3.30 pm
· Modelling the global transport of Dioxins & Furans
· Lindane vs. dioxins/furans
· Global transport of mercury
· Discussion, Q&A
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Tea Break
4.00 pm – 5.00 pm
· Global transport of mercury (Cont’d)
· Global policy initiatives to reduce the impact of toxic substances
· Potential technological solutions
· Discussion, Q&A
5.00 pm onwards: Distribution of Certificates
ABOUT WORKSHOP
on
Air QUALITY: Modelling the Global Transport and Transformation of Toxic Substances
By
Local and regional air quality is influenced by the presence of various chemical substances in the atmosphere and the transformations these substances undergo as a result of changing atmospheric conditions. While several of these effects are local/regional in nature, there are a number of present day chemicals (e.g. mercury, pesticides) that are long-lived in the atmosphere and hence can travel long distances. These substances can not only have a wide impact on the natural ecosystems but also affect the health of the population resulting in significant health costs. One way to understand the behavior of these substances is through global modeling of the transport and transformation of such substances. Such modeling can also be used to design effective mitigation measures to reduce their impact on ecosystem and human health.
The workshop will trace the discovery of the impact of these substances as global in nature, followed by the use of modeling to describe the global pathways for their transport. Use will be made of animations to demonstrate and understand the pathways. Some implications for ecosystem and human health will also be discussed, along with international efforts to mitigate and/or eliminate the harmful impacts of such substances.
