20 September 2006
Scientists from the ESRL Chemical Sciences Division are in Capetown, South Africa, at a September 17-23 meeting on "Atmospheric Chemistry at the Interfaces."
Background: The meeting has four major interface areas as its focus:
An overarching theme also emphasized at the conference is the interface between science, society, and the environment.
The meeting has three international cosponsors: The International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project (IGAC) of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme; the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); and the International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (CACGP) within the IUGG. CSD scientist David Parrish serves on the scientific steering committee of the IGAC, and A.R. Ravishakara, acting Director of CSD, is an ex-officio member of that group. Each is co-convenor of sessions at the meeting, and others in CSD are giving talks and presenting posters at the meeting.
Significance: This international conference is timely because the challenges facing the atmospheric sciences community are increasingly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. NOAA's prominent role in leading two of the conference's eleven scientific sessions illustrates the agency's position at the forefront of research that addresses the global issues in climate and atmospheric chemistry.