ACE Research PROGRAM

Air Quality, Climate and Equity Research Program

The Air Quality, Climate, and Equity (ACE) Research Program works at the intersection of community air quality, emissions research, cumulative/human exposures, and community engagement to address the disproportionate air pollution burdens faced by underserved communities.

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Community partnership is central to the work

ACE partners directly with community-based organizations, local governments, and regulatory agencies to ensure that research questions and monitoring priorities reflect community concerns, and that findings are communicated in ways that support informed decision-making. By linking comprehensive air quality measurements and data analysis with policy engagement and community partnership, ACE aims to advance both the science of air quality and climate, and equitable outcomes for the communities most affected by pollution. The ACE Research Team works closely with community organizations to build local capacity, communicate project findings and results to the public, and incorporate community feedback in the design and implementation of the projects.

ACE Focus Areas

Select a focus area to reveal its overview, methods and ongoing or recently completed projects.

Community engagement and air quality research

Focus Area 01 Community Air Quality and Air Toxics Exposure Research

Overview

CE-CERT researchers have collaborated with several community-based organizations to conduct community air quality monitoring and air toxics exposure studies. These projects have designed and implemented comprehensive air monitoring networks to measure criteria air pollutants and air toxics, and the data are used to understand community exposure to air pollutants, inform the public, and improve public health outcomes. Some project examples include:

Deployment of distributed air quality monitoring sensor network to provide real-time monitoring of air pollution levels, including measurement of particulate matter (PM), total volatile organic compounds (tVOC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2), ozone (O3), and black carbon (surrogate for diesel PM).
Air toxics monitoring using offline sampling and laboratory analyses to study the levels of toxic air contaminants (metals, volatile organic compounds) that impact the community, allowing for a more detailed understanding of specific pollutants.
Exposure assessment to estimate the cumulative health risks from all measured air toxics.
Source apportionment to document the emission contributions of the various sources affecting the community.
Youth Education to provide monitoring training as well as technical education on data collection, analysis, and visualization.
Community Engagement including workshops, roadshows, and engagement events to raise awareness, solicit community feedback, and communicate study findings.

Ongoing and Recently Completed Projects

Del Amo Action Committee Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) for Community Air Pollution, Noise, Vibration, and Truck Traffic Monitoring

Description of project here

Del Amo Action Committee CARB AB617 Community Air Grant project for Air Toxics Monitoring in the Del Amo Community Industrial Corridor

Description of project here

Lifers Leaving a Legacy CARB AB617 Community Air Grant projects for “Community-Led Efforts to Raise Awareness, Engagement, and Capacity Building on Air Pollution Issues in East Oakland, California” and “People-Driven Air Quality Monitoring and Outreach for a Healthier East Oakland”

Description of project here

OneOC/GREEN-MPNA CARB AB617 Community Air Grant projects for “Air Toxics Monitoring in Madison Park and Surrounding Neighborhoods in the City of Santa Ana” and “Implementing an Air Pollution Monitoring and Mitigation Program for the Madison Park and surrounding neighborhoods in the City of Santa Ana”

Description of project here

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability (LCJA) CARB AB617 Community Air Grant project for “Targeted Collaborative Community Air Quality Improvement in Inland California”

Description of project here

West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) CARB AB617 Community Air Grant project for “Expanding West Oakland’s Community Air Monitoring Network and Education Tools”

Description of project here

Focus Area 02 Mobile Air Pollution Monitoring and Mapping

Overview

CE-CERT deploys advanced research-grade mobile monitoring platforms to conduct neighborhood-scale air pollution and air toxics monitoring and mapping in communities. The platforms are fitted with state-of-the-art air quality measurement systems, such as Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) analyzers and regulatory-grade particulate matter analyzers, that can provide fast response and real-time monitoring of individual pollutant species at trace levels. The platforms are driven on selected community routes over multiple measurement campaigns, and the data are mapped using advanced statistical techniques for air quality and climate change research, monitoring, and educational purposes.

Ongoing and Recently Completed Projects

Community-Scale Mobile Air Quality Mapping in New Jersey Communities

Researchers from CE-CERT are collaborating with K2 Environmental and Carnegie Mellon University to conduct a Mobile Air Quality Mapping study for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

The research team is conducting neighborhood-scale mapping of air toxics, criteria air pollutants, and greenhouse gases in four New Jersey communities over two years. Air pollution mapping surveys are being conducted using a research-grade mobile monitoring platform operated by Carnegie Mellon University, which is fitted with research- and regulatory-grade measurement systems for the highest-quality data collection.

The project will study air pollution patterns in the community, help identify and prioritize high pollution zones for future monitoring, and complement ongoing air quality monitoring by NJDEP.