Research project The impact of chlorine on atmospheric chemistry and air quality in the highly polluted Indo-Gangetic
Air pollution in Delhi contains astonishingly high levels of chlorine, which reacts rapidly in the air. This project combines fieldwork with lab experiments to understand chlorine’s impact on atmospheric chemistry and human health in South Asia.
During winter, pollution from cities and crop burning accumulates across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (a broad region encompassing the north of the Indian subcontinent). This means that the impact of high chlorine concentrations is likely to affect a large area and population. However, our understanding of atmospheric chlorine’s chemical and health impacts is still very limited.
In this project, we aim to learn more about how chlorine-driven processes alter atmospheric chemistry, and to estimate how important these processes are in South Asia.
More and more studies are finding that atmospheric chlorine chemistry is an issue in cities across the world, from the US to China. This means that results from this project will provide valuable information to stakeholders and policy-makers globally.
Project members
Project managers
Sophie Haslett
Researcher
