Air quality research ‘supersite’ set for the Univesity

24 Jan 2018

A new network of advanced air quality monitoring instruments will detect harmful air pollutants and their sources in greater detail than ever before at existing research sites in three UK cities.

Three urban air pollution research laboratories, or ‘supersites’, are expected to be operational in London, Birmingham and Manchester by the end of 2018. The new equipment will allow researchers to gather higher-quality data on the content of harmful urban air pollution and where the gases and particles that pollute our air are coming from.

The University will be recieving funding as a part of this investment to assist with research development. 

Funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the £4.3 million investment will see eight universities led by the NERC Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) set up and run the new equipment. 

The equipment will include sensors to detect toxic air pollutants, new instruments to detect a variety of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting chemicals, and so help the UK also comply with legally-binding targets set out in the Climate Change Act.

The Manchester site will be located in the Research Development Gardens on the Fallowfield Campus of the University. In Birmingham, the new equipment will be installed at Birmingham University research site Eros. Two potential sites in London are currently being considered with a decision due in February following completion of technical assessments. The potential sites are the Defra North Kensington site and a research site at the King’s College London campus.