Chemistry-Climate-Public Health Connections

Air pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ozone negatively impact human health, causing millions of deaths worldwide each year. These atmospheric pollutants also impact Earth’s radiation budget and the lifetimes of greenhouse gases such as methane. Environmental regulations have caused decreases in atmospheric pollutants in many regions over recent decades, but many open questions remain, especially regarding the connection between chemistry and climate. Despite decades of study, aerosols and clouds remain the two largest uncertainties in climate models, and the radiative forcing of aerosols and ozone is not well quantified. Further, models struggle to reproduce observed concentrations of some atmospheric pollutants, which limits our ability to reliably predict future air quality, weather, and climate.

Research interests in the Christiansen lab focus on spatiotemporal trends of atmospheric pollutants, their interactions, and the way these pollutants impact Earth’s radiation balance, climate, and air quality. We use long-term measurements, underutilized datasets, and atmospheric models to understand spatiotemporal trends of pollutants, improve model simulations of atmospheric chemistry, and explore the climate and public health implications of these trends. We ask questions that span both gas-phase and multiphase atmospheric chemistry and place an emphasis on the broader impacts of changes in air quality, including radiative forcing, oxidation capacity, and environmental justice.

See the Publications tab to learn more about what we do in detail!