Air Quality Modeling and Pollutant Transport Dynamics
Summary
Air quality modelling integrates physical dispersion, chemical transformation and meteorological processes to simulate the emission, transport and fate of pollutants across scales from urban streets to continental plumes. Models range from Gaussian‐based dispersion frameworks for local source impacts to regional and global chemical transport models (CTMs) that resolve gas‐phase and aerosol chemistry, deposition processes and meteorological feedbacks. Coupled meteorology–chemistry systems such as WRF-CMAQ and WRF-Chem leverage observational data and prognostic weather fields to forecast concentrations of particulate matter and reactive gases. Receptor-oriented techniques and data assimilation refine emission inventories and improve source attribution. Pollutant transport dynamics encompass boundary-layer mixing, long-range advection and episodic releases from wildfires or industrial accidents, all of which shape exposure patterns. Advances in high-resolution emissions mapping, satellite integration and machine-learning augmentation have increased predictive fidelity, informing air quality management, health risk assessment, emergency response and transboundary policy measures.
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Air Quality Modeling and Pollutant Transport Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in air quality modeling and pollutant transport dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
back-trajectory modelling: A method that traces air parcels backward in time to identify source regions of observed pollutants.
chemical transport model (CTM): A numerical framework that simulates the emission, chemistry, transport and deposition of atmospheric pollutants over various scales.
data assimilation: The incorporation of observational data into model states to correct and improve forecasts.
boundary layer height: The depth of the atmospheric layer directly influenced by the Earth’s surface, controlling turbulent mixing and pollutant dispersion.
source apportionment: A set of techniques for quantifying the contributions of different emission sources to measured pollutant concentrations.
References
- Evaluating public exposure to airborne particulates from major incident fires: A back trajectory plume modelling approach. Journal of Hazardous Materials (2025).
- Estimating the Acute Health Effects of Smoke Exposure from an Urban Factory Fire Accident: A Case Study of a Tire Factory Fire in Korea. Environmental Health Perspectives (2024).
- Modeling study of PM2.5 pollutant transport across cities in China's Jing–Jin–Ji region during a severe haze episode in December 2013. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2015).
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