How Pollution Affects Your Health

Guest Bio: Gabriele Pfister

Gabriele Pfister's general research is in studying the composition of the troposphere using satellite and in-situ observations (i.e. aircraft and ground-based measurements taken during field campaigns) in conjunction with regional and global atmospheric models.

She has this to say about her work: "I am addressing the link between local pollution processes and regional and global pollution in my current work. Gases and aerosols emitted from local human activities, in addition to natural sources, might change atmospheric composition on inter-continental or even global scales coupled through mixing, transport and chemical transformation. This makes local air quality a global issue and, as further consequence, also a factor in climate change. Air quality issues are also linked to public policy applications because many of the pollutants emitted by human activity are known to have detrimental impacts on health and natural and managed ecosystems with a direct bearing on human welfare and environmental quality."

Some of Gabriele's current research topics include the intercontinental transport of pollution across the Pacific and how it impacts regional and local air quality over North America; the impacts of boreal wildfires on air quality and climate; and the role of emissions of volatile organic compounds from vegetation on atmospheric trace species such as formaldehyde or ozone.