Air quality and climate conference, March 14-19, 2011 Kona, Big Island, Hawaii

This grant is to help support costs for a conference on air quality and climate for the Asian-Pacific region. The conference is scheduled to be held March 14-19, 2011 in Kona, Big Island, Hawaii. The objectives of this conference are to (1) discuss the research issues at the nexus of air quality and climate with particular concern for the Asian-Pacific region, and (2) assess practical research needs and opportunities in areas of, but not necessarily restricted to, air quality trends of megacities, air pollution and weather modification, accelerated regional pollution exposure with climate change, and multi-pollutant air quality/climate management. The current science and technology outlook for East Asia and the Pacific Rim, as related to climate and air quality, will be explored at the conference. Discussion will also identify the depth and coverage of current knowledge, as well as its limitations, and the probable need for sustained investigations in the future to fill knowledge gaps and improve capability for applications to environmental management. The conference will be arranged so that the sessions will occur in series with discussion of each major topical area. Each session will be co-chaired by leading scientists in the field, and will include a 30-minute presentation followed by 10 to 15 minutes of summary views presented by a panel of several discussants. An open discussion will follow for each topic. Papers in poster form are encouraged to complement the invited speakers and invited discussants, so that participants can develop a broad view of ongoing topical research. The invited lead-in presenters are encouraged to provide a broad but brief summary of research carried out in East Asia and the Pacific Rim since the 1990s, and present a hypothetical discussion guide to ?important? future research in the topical areas. The conference will explore long-term theoretical, field, and laboratory research opportunities in the conference topical areas: How does research and development inform policy makers in, for example, the energy and transportation sectors? What are the questions in the next twenty-five years that can be addressed by long-term science and technology in the Asian-Pacific region? Can energy transportation and other actions be moderated or modified by long-term research and development results? Research initiatives may emerge that can serve as the basis for future collaborations in the Asian-Pacific region. This award is co-funded by the ENG Environmental Sustainability program, the GEO Atmospheric Chemistry program, and OISE-China.