Cristina Guerreiro new Research Director at NILU
Cristina de Brito Beirão Guerreiro is appointed Research Director of NILU’s Department for Industry and Environmental Economics
Harmful air pollution requires innovative changes
Air pollution has significant impacts on the health of Europeans, particularly in urban areas, according to the new “Air quality in Europe — 2016” report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). Harmful particulate matter causes the premature deaths of ca 467,000 Europeans each year, of which nearly 1600 Norwegians.
China’s emission of toxic fluorinated chemicals highest in the world
12 October 2016: China is today the largest emitter of certain toxic fluorinated chemicals in the world, as presented in a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology.
Particulate matter affect human health
Household combustion and agriculture are key emission sectors in future air quality management aiming at the reduction of health effects from exposure to PM, including BaP.
Moss and metals
From the NILU annual report 2015: Air pollution knows no borders. Particles emitted from sources far from Norway are transported through the atmosphere and deposited in Norwegian mountains and forests. Moss have proven to be especially useful when scientists want to map the atmospheric
deposition of heavy metals in the environment.
Detects ash in the atmosphere
In a new article published in Nature, the team behind the «Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector – AVOID» system report the results of an experiment conducted over the Atlantic Ocean. It confirmed the ability of the device to detect and quantify volcanic ash in an artificial ash cloud.
New PhD at NILU: Sofia Eirini Chatoutsidou
Sofia Eirini Chatoutsidou defended her PhD thesis at the Technical University of Crete on May 20 this year. The title of the thesis was “Physical processes of indoor aerosols in modern microenvironments”.
Monitoring the air all over Norway
From the NILU annual report: NILU owns and operates a wide range of ‘background’ stations around Norway. Situated slightly off the beaten track, these stations measure atmospheric composition and deposition, contaminants, climate forcers, the ozone layer and UV radiation.
Revolutionizing car technology through smart sensing
From the NILU annual report 2015: Although European air quality has improved considerably during the last decades, it is still estimated that more than 1,500 deaths each year in Norway can be connected to bad air quality.
NILU invites citizens to monitor air quality
From the NILU annual report: New technology and new portable sensors makes it possible to monitor air quality in new ways and to a far greater extent than before. It also makes it easier to invite the general public to contribute to the research.
Methane not escaping the Arctic Ocean in summer
Methane gas released from the Arctic seabed during the summer months leads to an increased methane concentration in the ocean. Surprisingly, very little of the methane gas rising up through the sea appears to reach the atmosphere in the summer, Norwegian scientists conclude in a new study.
CLAiR-City project kicks off May 25th
As part of a consortium of universities and research institutions, lead by Trinomics from The Netherlands, NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research has won a €6,7 million EU funded project to actively engage European citizens in 6 countries to research their personal impact on air quality and CO2 emissions, using specially made apps and games for smart phones.
Chernobyl 30 years after: Researching a disaster
Chernobyl, April 26 1986: At 01.24 AM a steam explosion destroys the 2000 tonne graphite cover of NO. 4, the newest reactor at the Chernobyl power plant. The explosion ejects parts of the reactor 1000 meters into the air. The atmospheric oxygen then ignites the graphite and three seconds later, a thermal explosion ejects radioactive fuel.
A look back at history: NILU’s monitoring of radioactive radiation in Norway
The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Pripyat, Ukraine. Soon after, the Norwegian network for monitoring radioactivity was established, where NILU played a preliminary role.
Waste management and climate change
How do we dispose our wastes in the context of protecting the environment? This issue has now become a part of educational programme at university level in Latvia, with the support from NILU scientists.
NEAT new software developed by European researchers, to assess the environmental status of marine ecosystems
The new tool is called NEAT, which stands for Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool.
Asia’s impact on the global carbon budget
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas driving climate change. Asia contains four of the world’s ten largest national emitters of CO2, and China is currently number one.
Fulmars contaminated more by food than microplastics
Contrary to previous belief, new research from NILU and NINA has shown that microplastics are not a significant source of environmental pollutants in fulmars. Seabirds ingest most of these pollutants through food, the researchers concluded.
Climate Change Rapidly Warming World’s Lakes
KJELLER/SAN FRANCISCO, December 16th — Climate change is rapidly warming lakes around the world, threatening freshwater supplies, ecosystems and fish, according to a new study spanning six continents.
IPCC and climate in everyday life: from 2010 until today
From 2010 onwards, the climate debate occupies more and more space in our everyday life. Flood disasters and heat waves seem to constantly fill our TV screens, and countless readers discuss in the online newspapers’ comment feeds whether global warming is a fact or not.
Particles and climate change: the 2000s
During the first decade of the 21st century, focus on climate change research turned towards aerosols – tiny, solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air or gas, that can remain suspended over long distances.
Databases and distribution: the 90s
In the 90s, climate research became more and more international due to the rise of the internet. Climate researchers could exchange information all around the world in the blink of an eye, and data could be stored and shared through joint databases.
High hair & a hole in the ozone layer: the 80s
In the mid-80s, we wore big shoulder pads, parachute pants and had enormous hair – thanks to hairspray. Most spray containers at that time contained chlorofluorocarbons, AKA CFCs, substances that were used in many products and industries all over the world.
An acidic start: Climate debate in the 70s
Pollutants from British industrial pipes were raining down over Norway in the 70s and 80s and resulted in lakes filled with dead fish, fierce political debates and passionate nature conservatists. But how was this all linked together?