Modelling of air quality and nitrogen deposition in the Netherlands (Speaker: Eric van der Swaluw, RIVM)

The Netherlands is among the most densely populated areas worldwide, plus it also ranks second in value of agricultural export. These high rankings come with high emissions of air pollutants, and their impact on human health and ecosystems is therefore a relevant issue in the Netherlands: long-term exposure to air pollution is still associated with non-accidental and cause-specific mortality; and a significant part of the nature areas in the Netherlands are exposed to high nitrogen deposition levels that affect the biodiversity of the areas. An overview is given of model activities at RIVM on air quality and nitrogen deposition: we will discuss the large scale concentration and deposition maps over the Netherlands, which are yearly produced as a tool for policy makers; the air quality forecast maps which are online available from day to day on the internet; recent developments of high resolution modelling of nitrogen deposition maps, and local (urban) modelling of air quality.

Eric van der Swaluw (1971) obtained a PhD in astrophysics (2001) on Supernova Remnants, Pulsar Wind Nebulae and Their Interaction, a topic on which he continued working as postdoctoral researcher at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (2001-2002), FOM Rijnhuizen (2003-2004) and Leeds University (2005). In 2005, a switch was made to atmospheric research, starting as a postdoctoral researcher at KNMI (2005-2008) in the climate research group. In 2008 he moved to RIVM, where he is still working on air quality research with a strong focus on the modelling part of this research area.