NASA
Plot showing NO2 Air Pollutant over Eastern and Southern Africa in 2020
UCAR
This project entitled “Enhancing air quality decision-making activity in Eastern and Southern Africa (E&SA)” aims to utilize chemical data assimilation to co-design and co-develop a regional air quality forecasting system together with local scientists that will provide near-real-time and next-two-days information about air quality to the public and decision-makers. In addition to enhanced air quality forecasts, this project creates an atlas of air quality to track past changes in air quality over E&SA from 2003-2022. To enhance the usability of the air quality information we will also co-create a dissemination system and provide educational training and tools. This project has been funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Domain of Air Quality Forecast Runs over Eastern and Southern Africa
UCAR
In response to our stakeholders survey results on easy to use analysis tools for analyzing past changes in air quality, we have created a Jupyter notebook designed to visualize seasonal averages and perform trend analysis using data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) ECMWF Atmospheric Composition Reanalysis 4 (EAC4). Use the GitHub link below to download the python jupyter notebook and a python code to download CAMS data. You can also directly download CAMS data from their website.
GitHub Python Jupyter Notebook and CAMS Data Download
Monthly NO2 trend over the city of Nairobi which shows positive NO2 trend based on Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) dataset.
UCAR
Monthly NO2 trend over the city of Kigali which shows positive NO2 trend based on Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) dataset.
UCAR
Publications
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Toward improving short-term predictions of fine particulate matter over the United States via assimilation of satellite aerosol optical depth retrievals
Description
Kumar, R., Delle Monache, L., Bresch, J., Saide, P. E., Tang, Y., Liu, Z., et al. (2019). Toward improving short-term predictions of fine particulate matter over the United States via assimilation of satellite aerosol optical depth retrievals. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 2753–2773. http://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029009
Resources
- Python Jupyter Notebook and a Python Code to Download CAMS data (GitHub)
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Conferences
Upcoming: Shima Shams, Rajesh Kumar , Forrest Lacey , Carl Drews , Wenfu Tang, Jean-Marie Niyitegeka , Didier Ntwali , Joan Birungi Ngabo , Eyale Bayable Tegegne, Lucy Mphatso Ng’ombe, Mtilatila, Zacharia Mwai , and Roelof Bruintjes, Enhanced Air Quality Forecast System Through Chemical Data Assimilation: A Co-Design Effort with Local Stakeholders in Eastern and Southern Africa, 105th AMS Annual Meeting, 12–16 January 2025 New Orleans, Louisiana.
Shima Shams, Rajesh Kumar , Forrest Lacey , Carl Drews , Wenfu Tang, Jean-Marie Niyitegeka , Didier Ntwali , Joan Birungi Ngabo , Eyale Bayable Tegegne, Lucy Mphatso Ng’ombe, Mtilatila, Zacharia Mwai , and Roelof Bruintjes, Enhancing air quality decision-making activity in eastern and southern Africa, The 16th International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (iCACGP) Symposium and 18th International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) , World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, 9th to 13th September 2024.
Shima Shams, R. Kumar, R. Bruintjes, C. Drews, W. Tang, Forrest Lacey, Enhancing air quality decision-making activity in eastern and southern Africa, Joint WRF and MPAS Users’ Workshop Program, 25 – 28 June 2024, Boulder, CO and online. (Oral Presentation)
Forrest Lacey, R. Kumar, Shima Bahramvash Shams, R. Bruintjes, C. Drews, W. Tang, G. Pfister, and D. Edwards, Capacity Building and Development of a WRF-Chem Based Air Quality Forecasting System for Eastern Africa, AMS 104th Annual Meeting, 28 Jan – 1 Feb 2024, Baltimore, MD and online. (Oral Presentation)
Kumar, R., Forrest Lacey, Shima Bahramvash Shams, Carl Drews, Wenfu Tang, Roelof Bruintjes, Gabriele Pfister, David Edwards, Jean-Marie Niyitegeka, Lucy Mtilatila, Clement Boyce, Innocent Chiwandah, Zacharia Mwai, Kantamla Mafuru, Chuki Sangalugembe, Guy Brasseur, Development of an air quality forecasting system for eastern and southern Africa, World Research Climate Program Open Science conference, Kigali, 23-27 Oct 2023.