Beginners Handbook on Assembling Air Pollution Models

Air pollution is an escalating issue in cities worldwide, with direct impacts on public health.

While many numerical tools exist to address this problem, there is a growing need for practical, scalable, and accessible modeling training resources, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This publication is specifically designed to support those training needs and empower city managers, regulators, practitioners, academics, and citizen groups.

Whether you are a beginner or seeking to refresh your knowledge, this resource provides a fundamental understanding of the key themes associated with air pollution modeling.

Table of Themes

• Air pollution modeling
• Boundary and initial conditions
• Chemical transport models
• Deposition rates
• Emission inventories
• Forecasting air quality
• Geospatial information systems
• Health (exposure) impacts modeling
• Inversion (mixing) heights
• J-rates and K-rates (chemical mechanisms)
• Land-use regression (LUR) models
• Monitoring data
• Natural emission inventories
• Optimization of action plans
• Projections and scenario analysis
• Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC)
• Reduced complexity models
• Source apportionment
• Trajectory analysis
• Utilities
• Validation of models
• Weather research forecasting (WRF) model
• XYZ dimensions (airsheds, nesting, and model layer heights)