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Evaluation of air quality in the U.S. and worldwide is a major research area for SAGE. Because air pollution arises from complex interactions between climate, human emissions, land cover, and other factors, we use advanced models, measurements, and satellite observations to evaluate strategies for cleaner air. Current air quality work at SAGE is funded by NASA, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the UW Center for Freight Infrastructure, Research, and Education (CFIRE).
P.I.s
• Dr. Corbett Grainger is a SAGE Affiliate and Assistant Professor in Ag & Applied Economics; his work includes economic analysis of air pollution regulations and air permit trading.
• Dr. Tracey Holloway and her group employ mathematical models of the atmosphere to evaluate how emissions in one area can affect atmospheric chemistry downwind, how alternative energy strategies could improve air quality, and to evaluate connections between climate and chemistry.
• Dr. Frank Keutsch is a SAGE Affiliate and Assistant Professor in Chemistry; his work builds understanding of processes that produce tropospheric ozone secondary organic aerosols.
• Dr. Paul Meier is a SAGE Affiliate and Director of the UW Energy Institute; he leads electricity modeling activities to support broader air quality analyses.
• Dr. Jonathan Patz has lead a number of studies evaluating the health risk associated with ground-level air pollution, connecting air quality with broader climate and energy health challenges.
• Dr. Brad Pierce is a SAGE Affiliate Physical Scientist in the NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research and the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at UW-Madison; his work focuses on modeling and evaluation of atmospheric gases and aerosols, including work on air quality forecasting.
• Dr. Jamie Schauer is a SAGE Affiliate and Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering; his work explores the origin of air pollutants and the impact of these pollutants on human health and the ecosystem, such that effective control strategies can be developed and designed.
Students & Post-Docs
Erica Bickford, Olivia Clifton, Phillip Duran, Maggie Grabow, Dr. Monica Harkey, Alex Karambelas, Vijay Limaye, Keith Maki, Jacob Oberman, Steve Plachinski, Erica Scotty
Ongoing Projects
NASA Air Quality Applied Science Team (AQAST) – Holloway is a member of NASA AQAST, a five-year initiative launched in 2011 to advance atmospheric research linking satellite data with air quality management needs. Short-term projects include an analysis of chemical and meteorological processes over the Great Lakes affecting coastal non-attainment, and building a library of resources to support broader use of OMI NO2 data from the Aura satellite.
Impacts of Climate Change on Air Pollution and Health – Patz, Holloway, and Meier were recently awarded a 2-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to quantify the health impacts of climate-related air pollution increases, especially with respect to increased electricity demand. Dr. Monica Harkey and Ph.D. student Vijay Limaye are working on this 2011-2013 project.
Understanding Air Quality Impacts of Energy Choices -- A collection of intersecting projects addressing how energy use trade-offs will affect air quality, especially in the Eastern U.S. Upper Midwest. An NREL-funded project (2011) led by Holloway, working with Ph.D. student Phillip Duran, examines the potential benefits of broader solar energy deployment in urban areas. Holloway, Meier, and Ph.D. student Erica Bickford work together with funding from UW CFIRE evaluate the air quality impacts of biodiesel for trucking (paper in review), modal shifts from truck to rail (paper in preparation), and broader use of natural gas in trucks (evaluation underway).
Regional Impacts of Global Air Pollution – Holloway serves a co-author for the UN Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution, and advances research on the interaction between regional and global pollution transport processes.
Triple-Win Biking Project – Patz and Ph.D. student Maggie Grabow evaluate health/fitness, air quality, and climate benefits associated with increased bicycle use in urban areas (paper in press).
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SAGE is a Research Center of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
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