Long-Range Transport and Deposition of Air Pollution

Abstract

The processes whereby air pollutants are transported from emission sources across national or regional boundaries to areas far from the sources are referred as long-range transport (LRT) of air pollution. There is much evidence for the regional and intra- and intercontinental transport of ozone, fine particles and their precursors, mercury, and some persistent organic pollutants. LRT of air pollution has a great impact on local, regional, and global air quality. The most important policy-relevant question is how LRT of air pollution affects the air quality at a specified receptor point or area. Source–receptor relationships, defined as the sensitivity of concentrations or deposition levels at a receptor location to a change in emissions from a source location, need to be established for the design of air pollution control policies.