atmochem2010

Welcome on the web site of German-French Discussion Meeting in the course of the Joint Research Programme in Atmospheric Chemistry (AtmoChem2010)

UCBLyon1's Library (Bibliothèque), November 18-19, 2010 Villeurbanne, France

   Atmospheric chemistry is a research area in the natural sciences strongly linked to the classical disciplines chemistry, physics, meteorology and the geosciences. Nowadays, atmospheric chemistry research is strongly embedded in global change and climate as well as in air quality research including a better understanding of biogeochemical cycles and the effects of anthropogenic activities. Atmospheric pollution has been demonstrated to have adverse effects on ecosystems and also on human beings. Hence, atmospheric chemistry research lays the foundations for environmentally conscious approaches when human activities might lead to changes in atmospheric composition. It will help to find appropriate technologies as well as to produce scientifically based legislation in order to prevent adverse atmospheric effects.

Based on this observation, the DFG and CNRS have launched in 2008 a "Joint French-German Projects on Innovative Basic Research in Atmospheric Chemistry" (ATMOCHEM), which tends to foster innovative basic research, especially the development of new approaches in field and laboratory experiments and in atmospheric modelling.

Since 2008, ATMOCHEM is active with a total of 10 joint projects composed from French and German contributions each in the areas

(I) ‘Chemical and Physical Aerosol Processes’ - ‘Cloud Research’,
(II) ‘Urban pollution and oxidation capacity’
(III) ‘Long range transport and processing’.

We believe that it would be timely to assess and discuss the current achievements of the projects that have been funded, though an open discussion meeting to be held in 2010 (mid-term of ATMOCHEM).

Hartmut Herrmann (Leipzig, Germany) and Christian George (Lyon, France)