Plenary Session
| Date and venue: | April 17 – 21, 2023, at Toki Messe in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
| Meeting website: | https://www.acidrain2020.org |
| Number of participants: | 214 participants |
| Countries represented: | 21 countries |
| Host organization(s) and sponsor(s): | Hosted by: Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB), and Organizing Committee (OC) of ACID RAIN 2020, and Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) as the meeting secretariat Co-organized by: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), Japan Society of Atmospheric Chemistry, Japan Society for Atmospheric Environment, Japanese Society of Biogeochemistry, The Japanese Society of Limnology, and Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Supported by: The Ecological Society of Japan, The Geochemical Society of Japan, Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU), The Japanese Forest Society, The Japanese Society of Forest Environment, Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resources, Japan Society on Water Environment, and Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies (SEEPS) Sponsored by: Niigata Prefecture, Niigata City, National Atmospheric Deposition Program, Japan Committee of International Union of Forest Research Organizations, MEIWAFOSIS CO., LTD., DKK-TOA CORPORATION, TOKYO DYLEC CORP., KIMOTO ELECTRIC CO., LTD., Green Blue Corporation, Wiley, Japan Society of Atmospheric Chemistry, SHIMADZU CORPORATION, National Institute for Environmental Studies |
Meeting report
a) Background information:
The International Conference on Acid Deposition has been held approximately every five years since the first meeting was held in 1975, and the 10th conference was originally scheduled to be held in October 2020, but it has finally been held after several postponements and schedule changes due to the global pandemic of the new coronavirus infection. The conference was entitled “ACID RAIN 2020 – The Future Environment and Role of Multiple Air Pollutants –”, which covers issues not only specific to acid rain but also a wide range of scientific topics related to various air pollutants.
b) Key issues discussed/latest findings in the field:
Six keynote speeches and twenty oral sessions included various scientific topics, namely, “Emissions and their Evaluation by Monitoring and Modeling”, “Atmospheric chemical and physical processes”, “Long-range Transport and Modeling”, “Urban and regional air pollution by multiple pollutants in Asia”, “Air pollution and climate change by multiple pollutants”, “Observation and assessment studies of multiple pollutants”, “Wet, Dry, and Occult Deposition”, “Effects of Atmospheric Deposition and Multiple Pollutants on Terrestrial Ecosystems”, “Long-term trends of deposition, soil and water recovery”, “Atmospheric deposition and biogeochemical cycling”, “Effects of Air Pollutants on Climate Change”, “Critical load mapping and health effects index”, and “Atmospheric environment management with science and policy”.
c) Conclusions:
Scientific discussions in a series of the conference over the last 50 years since 1975 have contributed to a comprehensive understanding of processes on air pollution, as shown in the topics above. It can be concluded that relevant studies should be continued taking into account new aspects of multiple pollutants. The co-chairs of the conference and representatives of the International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) concluded that it is desirable that the next conference be held within 2 – 3 years in line with the original schedule.
d) Outlook to future activities:
Special issues will be published in two scientific journals, Aerosol and Air Quality Research (AAQR) and Ecological Research. Manuscripts relevant to the conference scope could be accepted in the special issues. The submission deadline has been extended to September 30, 2023, although the original deadline was June 30, 2023.
Discussion at the Plenary Session
Photo credits (not protected by copyright): Huo M