Peru RPCV John Watson Wins Top Air Quality Research Award
DRI Scientist John Watson Wins Top Air Quality Research Award
Internationally renowned DRI air quality scientist John G. Watson has received the Frank A. Chambers Award from the Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA), the world's largest air quality research association. The award, AWMA's top scientific honor, recognizes outstanding achievement in the science and art of air pollution control.
Dr. Watson's research has focused on developing methods of "fingerprinting" the sources of air pollution, such as vehicles, industry, home heating, dust, etc., to help air pollution control managers develop cost-effective strategies that focus on the most serious emission sources. He is currently directing the Southern Nevada Air Quality Study in Las Vegas Valley, and led the development of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's original urban air quality compliance model, applied first to air quality conditions in Reno and Las Vegas in the late 1980s.
Using advanced methods of air pollution sampling and chemical analysis that incorporate meteorology and other influential factors, Watson develops mathematical models that identify which airborne pollutants contribute to an area's total pollutant load under various conditions.
His work has provided analytical breakthroughs in detecting the long range transport of pollutants from urban to rural areas, the effect of airborne particles on the scenic visibility in national parks and recreation areas, and the characterization of extremely fine particles that can cause human respiratory problems.
Watson has provided the scientific leadership for major research projects in the Grand Canyon, Mexico City, the Los Angeles Basin, the Monterey Peninsula, California's Central Valley, Reno, Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, the Pacific Northwest, and in several major regions of south central Texas. He has assisted atmospheric scientists in many other countries to adapt these methods to solving their own air quality problems.
Other recent or current work includes program planning, measurement evaluation, and data analysis for the San Joaquin Valley Regional Particulate Study, the Project MOHAVE study of regional contribution to haze in the Grand Canyon, and the Mt. Zirkel (Colorado) Visibility Study. He has participated in control strategy development fine particles in various western states.
This is the second time the Chambers Award has been given to a DRI faculty member and DRI is believed to be the only institution in which two faculty members have received this most prestigious award. The late William R. Pierson received the award in 1995.
