The Working Group Meeting of EANET in 2022

29 August 2022 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting (WG2022) of EANET in 2022 was organized virtually from 24 to 25 August 2022. It was attended by over 70 National Focal Points and representatives from the 13 EANET Participating Countries, and from the Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, to discuss proposed projects submitted to the EANET Project Fund and other matters related to the expansion of the scope of the EANET.

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Opening Session

Chaired by Japan and co-chaired by Malaysia and Viet Nam, the WG2022 started with Opening Remarks from Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Welcome Remarks from Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

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From left to right Mr. Bert Fabian, Dr. Dechen Tsering, and Dr. Hiro Hatakeyama, during the Opening Session of the WG2022 meeting

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EANET Project Fund

In November 2021, the Twenty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (IG23) approved a new financial mechanism, the EANET Project Fund. The Working Group meeting of the EANET was organized for the EANET National Focal Points and representatives from the 13 Participating Countries to discuss the EANET Project Plans, which are project proposals, to be submitted for funding from the EANET Project Fund.

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Discussions among participants during the WG2022 meeting

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During the WG2022, eight EANET Project Plans were presented and discussed by the Session. These project plans focus mainly on the effects of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems, capacity building (related to Volatile Organic Compounds – VOCs, monitoring activities, emission inventories, and PM2.5), and research fellowship programs.

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Ways Forward

After the WG2022, the EANET Project Plans will be reviewed and discussed in October 2022 by the EANET Twenty-second Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC22) meeting, and finally submitted for approval to the 24th Intergovernmental meeting of the EANET (IG24) in November 2022.

Other important topics in line with the expansion of the Scope of the EANET adopted by IG23, were also discussed during the WG2022 and will be considered further by the IG23 in November 2022.

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Read the Report of the WG2022 and discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The 22nd Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting on the EANET

25 October 2022 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) held its Twenty-second Session of the SAC (SAC22) Meeting from 18-20 October 2022, to discuss the progress of acid deposition monitoring activities since 2021.

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Reporting on Acid Deposition Monitoring in 2021

Over 50 members of the SAC and/or their representatives from the Participating Countries of the EANET joined the virtual meeting. The SAC22 started with Opening Remarks from Mr. Bert Fabian, Coordinator, Secretariat for the EANET, and by Welcome Remarks from Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP).

Scientists from the NC presented the results from activities of acid deposition monitoring, based on data provided by the EANET Participating Countries and retrieved from their national monitoring sites for 2021.

The Draft EANET Data Report 2021 was presented to the Session, showcasing different results and trends. In addition, the Draft Report on the Inter-laboratory Comparison (ILC) Projects 2021 was also introduced, and it showed that most samples submitted by the participating laboratories met the Data Quality Objective (DQO) of EANET.

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Discussing EANET’s Future Activities

The NC presented an overview of the National Monitoring Plans of the Participating Countries for 2022, based on the submissions made during the recent Twenty-third Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting (STM23) on the EANET.

The SAC22 members were also invited to share their comments, from the scientific viewpoints, on the proposed Project Plans for 2023 to be funded by the newly introduced EANET Project Fund, and before approval at the IG24 of EANET, in November 2022.

Finally, the Network Center shared the program of the EANET Emission Inventory Webinar Workshop on Open Biomass Burning that will take place on 5 December 2022, the EANET Workshop on the Relationship between the Atmospheric Environment, Human Health and Ecosystems on 31 October 2022, and the 13th International Workshop on Atmospheric Modeling Research in East Asia, on 22-23 December 2022.

The Network Center also presented the Acid Rain 2020 event, organized by ACAP, which will take place in April 2023, and reminded the abstracts’ submission date is extended to 31 October 2022.

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EANET Data Reports can be accessed on EANET’s website and 2021 data will be available soon.

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Read the Report of SAC22 here and view the photos on Flickr.

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Photo credits: All rights reserved to EANET.

The Twenty-third Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting on the EANET

Niigata, 29 September 2022

The Twenty-third Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting (STM23) on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) was held online on 28 and 29 September 2022. The Meeting gathered over 40 senior technical officials from the 13 EANET Participating Countries to discuss the status of the Network’s monitoring activities.

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EANET Monitoring Activities in 2021

Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), delivered the Opening Remarks, followed by Welcome Remarks by Mr. Bert Fabian, Coordinator, Secretariat for the EANET.

After presenting the progress of EANET activities in 2021 since STM22, the Network Center for the EANET (NC) shared the results of various reports on acid deposition and related substances monitoring activities. STM23 participants were invited to discuss and share knowledge and experience to collectively review these draft publications.

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Participants of the STM23 meeting

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Overview of the Preliminary Draft Data Report 2020 and Evaluation of the Results of the Inter-laboratory Comparison (ILC) Projects 2020

The NC presented the Preliminary Draft Data Report 2021. This report focuses on wet deposition, dry deposition (air concentration), soil and vegetation, inland aquatic environment, and catchment-scale monitoring. It includes a summary of the monitoring data in 2021 and related information submitted by the Participating Countries.

The NC also introduced the preliminary draft Report on the Inter-laboratory Comparison Projects in 2021 for wet deposition, dry deposition (filter pack method), soil, and inland aquatic environment.

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Consideration of the National Monitoring Plans (NMPs), Current Monitoring Activities for the EANET and Overall Air Concentration Monitoring Status of the Participating Countries

In line with previous STM meetings’ process, representatives of the Participating Countries presented their National Monitoring Plans (NMPs) and current EANET activities, including monitoring capacities, technical challenges, and future plans, while focusing on the general improvement of the activities of the EANET.

Other important matters were also discussed, including the progress on the Revision of the Technical Manuals for Dry Deposition Flux Estimation and Air Concentration Monitoring.

Dr. Meng Fan, Deputy Director General, ACAP, delivered the Closing Remarks. He expressed his great appreciation for the improvement of the data quality due to the efforts of the Participating Countries and hoped that the EANET monitoring, research and capacity-building activities would continue to be strengthened through the expansion of the scope of the EANET.

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Find out more and access EANET monitoring data.

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Photo credits: cover photo by Anna Sushok (2020), other images, all rights reserved to EANET.

New Face of EANET Research Portal

29 September 2021 – Niigata, Japan

EANET researchers have been working collaboratively for 20 years to study mechanisms of acid deposition and its effects on ecosystems, resulting in various scientific publications. These aim at creating a common understanding of the state of acid deposition problems in East Asia, and to provide useful inputs for decision-making at the local, national, and regional levels. Recently, an updated version of the EANET Research Portal has been released, displaying detailed information on EANET research activities.

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20 Years of Research Activities

Why is research a central component of EANET’s activities? Since the early 2000s, collaboration on data monitoring and research has significantly improved knowledge on environmental urgencies in the region. With monitoring sites deployed in 13 countries in East Asia, scientists and researchers have access to unique data on acid deposition and air pollution.

In the decision-making process, policymakers need scientific-based evidence to guide their choices. They often use scientific results to evaluate the benefits of environmental policies and to shape government programs.

Over the years, EANET’s ability to bring together diverse players such as scientists, researchers, students, young professionals, and policymakers has made it a unique knowledge-sharing platform.

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Sharing Scientific Outputs and Fostering Collaboration Globally

The EANET Research Portal was created to promote research activities developed in the EANET community and to enhance the use of the EANET data by the scientific community globally.

The main objectives of this page are to introduce research activities conducted by the EANET community, share scientific outputs from the EANET research activities, demonstrate the importance of the EANET data for scientific research activities, and provide opportunities for joint research activities with the EANET community.

More specifically, users can access scientific articles produced by the EANET Community, Reports of the EANET Fellowships, EANET Science Bulletins, and a database of research articles using and/or mentioning EANET data.

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How Can Researchers Contribute to the Portal?

To expand the reach of this portal, Participating Countries are invited to share this page with their scientific peers at a national level, to link this page to their websites, and help improve its content by informing the EANET Network Center on any important paper using EANET data that might be missing from the database.

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Access the EANET Research Portal

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Interested in collaborating on a joint research project or on using EANET data? Contact the Network Center to find out more.

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Photo credits: All rights reserved to EANET.

The Twenty-second Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting of the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia

3 September 2021 – Niigata, Japan

The Twenty-second Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting (STM22) of the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) was held online on 1 and 2 September 2021, gathering over 40 senior technical officials from the 13 EANET Participating Countries to discuss the status of the EANET monitoring activities.

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EANET Monitoring Activities in 2020

Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), delivered the Opening Remarks, followed by Welcome Remarks by Mr. Tomi Haryadi, Coordinator, Secretariat for the EANET.

After presenting the progress of EANET activities in 2020 since STM21, the Network Center for the EANET (NC) shared the results of various important reports on acid deposition and related substances monitoring activities. STM22 participants were invited to discuss and share important knowledge and experience to collectively review these draft publications.

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Figure 1: Discussions and presentations during the STM22

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Overview of the Preliminary Draft Data Report 2020 and Evaluation for the Results of the Inter-laboratory Comparison (ILC) Projects 2020

The NC presented the Preliminary Draft Data Report 2020. This report focuses on wet deposition, dry deposition (air concentration), soil and vegetation, inland aquatic environment, and catchment-scale monitoring. It includes a summary of the monitoring data in 2020 and related information submitted by the Participating Countries.

The NC also introduced the preliminary draft Report on the Inter-laboratory Comparison Projects in 2020 for wet deposition, dry deposition (filter pack method), soil, and inland aquatic environment.

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Consideration of the National Monitoring Plans (NMPs), Current Monitoring Activities for the EANET and Overall Air Concentration Monitoring Status of the Participating Countries

In line with previous STM meetings’ process, representatives of the Participating Countries presented their National Monitoring Plans (NMPs) and current EANET activities, including monitoring capacities, technical challenges, and future plans, while focusing on the general improvement of the activities of the EANET.

Other important matters were also discussed, including the progress on the Revision of the Technical Manuals for Dry Deposition Flux Estimation and Air Concentration Monitoring.

Dr. Erdenebat Eldev-Ochir, Deputy Director General, ACAP, delivered the Closing Remarks. He expressed his great appreciation for the improvement of the data quality due to the efforts of the Participating Countries. He highlighted that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the EANET has been continuously strengthening the capacity of the Participating Countries through online training, research fellowship, public awareness workshops, and joint research.

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Find out more and access EANET monitoring data.

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Photo credits: All rights reserved to EANET.

EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021

16 September 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 was organized virtually on Monday, 6 September, in partnership with the Republic of Korea, gathering over 200 persons from 16 different countries to discuss acid deposition and air pollution international cooperation.

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Opening Session and General Lecture

Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative, UN Environment Asia and the Pacific Office, opened the EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021, followed by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director-General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), and by Mr. Yongchul Lee, Vice-Governor 1 for Administrative Affairs, Gyeonggi Province.

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Ms. Siwaporn Rungsiyanon, Director of Transboundary Air Pollution Subdivision, Air Quality and Noise Management Division, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, and EANET National Focal Point of Thailand, delivered the General Lecture on “International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and EANET’s potential role to achieve this goal”. In the Lecture, she first presented an overview of the growing threats linked to air pollution in the Asia and Pacific. She also introduced the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies to the audience. In the second part, Ms. Rungsiyanon highlighted the EANET’s 20 years of efforts in acid deposition monitoring, capacity building, awareness-raising, and continuous engagement among EANET Participating Countries and partners.

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Panel Discussion on International Cooperation

The Panel Discussion focused on “International cooperation to fight against acid deposition and air pollution: What can we learn from the EANET’s experience, and what role could the EANET play as a regional role model in the near future?”

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Mr. Zhou Jun, Director of the Division of Asian, African and Latin American Affairs, Department of International Cooperation Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China and EANET National Focal Point of China; Mr. Mohan Kumar Sammathuria, Principal Assistant Director, Atmospheric Sciences and Cloud Seeding Division, Malaysian Meteorological Department Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia and EANET Scientific Advisory Committee Member; Mr. Jundy T. Del Socorro, Supervising Environmental Management Specialist, Air Quality Management Section, Environmental Quality Management Division, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Environmental Management Bureau, the Philippines and EANET Scientific Advisory Committee Member; Dr. Sangmin Nam, Deputy Head, ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office and Ms. Maria Katharina Patdu, Coordinator, Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership, shared their views as Panelists during this session.

Mr. Tomi Haryadi, Coordinator of EANET Secretariat, and Dr. Ken Yamashita from EANET Network Center participated in the panel discussion as commentators.

The panel discussed EANET’s highlights of success, challenges, opportunities, and best practices.

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Special Session – sharing experience from the Republic of Korea in acid deposition and air quality management

The Special Session focused on “sharing experience from the Republic of Korea in acid deposition and air quality management,” and was co-facilitated by Dr. Imseok Chang, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Republic of Korea. It included presentations from Dr. James Crawford, Senior Scientist for Atmospheric Chemistry at NASA, Langley Research Center, USA; Dr. Chang-Sub Shim, Chief Research Fellow, Korea Environment Institute (KEI), Republic of Korea, and Dr. Chul Yoo, Director, National Air Emission Inventory and Research Center, Republic of Korea.

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Ways Forward – From Capacity to Partnerships’ Building

Three key conclusion points were raised from the Awareness Workshop’s rich discussions. First, the EANET was recognized as a role model initiative, providing robust regional monitoring data, technical assistance, and analysis, disseminating its knowledge to key organizations across the region. Secondly, the importance of capacity-building activities was highlighted. Finally, as a way forward, the EANET will strive at enhancing stronger and more extensive partnerships to create synergy, strengthen programs and magnify the impact on beneficiaries.

 

Useful Resources

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Read a more detailed summary of the Workshop’s content in the EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 Event Report

View all Workshop’s videos on the Secretariat for the EANET’s YouTube channel

Download the Workshop’s presentations:

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Photo credits: All rights reserved to EANET.

 

EANET 20th Anniversary and Science & Policy Dialogue – Join us on November 26!

Join us for the EANET 20th Anniversary and Science & Policy Dialogue on Friday, 26th of November 2021, from 13:00 to 16:30 Indochina Time (ICT), to discuss bridging science and policy, and better air quality for all.

 

The registration is now closed

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BACKGROUND

The Acid Deposition Monitoring Network In East Asia (EANET) has supported the region in the last 20 years. Following its success in tackling acid deposition issues, in November 2020, the 22nd Session of the Intergovernmental meeting of EANET (IG22) decided to expand the scope of the EANET from acid deposition to wider air pollution. As a continuation of the Decisions of IG22, on 24-25 November 2021, the IG23 will decide more detailed arrangements on the expansion of the scope of the EANET. In sequence to IG23, the EANET will organize two events on 26 November 2021: the Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET and the EANET Science and Policy Dialogue.

The events aim to i) celebrate the EANET’s twentieth anniversary; ii) share its publication “Summary of The Twentieth Anniversary of The Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET)” and iii) provide opportunities for policymakers and scientists to consider expectations and potential roles for new EANET. The events are open to the public and are expected to be attended by policymakers, experts, and stakeholders in the region, including partner organizations.

 

The Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET 

The EANET is a regional intergovernmental network established in 2001 to promote cooperation among thirteen Participating Countries in East Asia to address acid deposition problems. In the last 20 years, the EANET has made excellent progress in acid deposition monitoring cooperation. The EANET has fostered a regional acid deposition monitoring network and scientific knowledge exchange platform and has contributed to solving acid deposition problems in East Asia through its scientific inputs.

Accumulating the progress of the EANET in the last 20 years, a new publication, ‘Summary of The Twentieth Anniversary of The Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET),” was developed targeting policymakers and relevant stakeholders in the region. In line with this, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), as the host of the IG23 of the EANET, will also host the “Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET” in commemoration of the significant milestones of the EANET in its twenty years of contribution, including the launching of the said publication.

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The EANET Science and Policy Dialogue

Following the decision to expand the scope of EANET by IG22 in 2020, the EANET continuously prepared all necessary arrangements in 2021, aiming to ensure its readiness to implement the activities and strengthen the impacts of its activities through collaboration with partners. This year, the IG23 will decide detailed arrangements of the expansion of scope as well as collaborating and funding mechanisms. In line with that, the EANET Science and Policy Dialogue will be organized virtually on 26 November 2021 with the theme “The Potential Role of EANET in Line with its Expansion of Scope”.

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Continue reading “EANET 20th Anniversary and Science & Policy Dialogue – Join us on November 26!”

EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 – Join us on September 6!

Join us for the EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 on Monday, 6th of September 2021, from 13:00 to 16:15 Indochina Time (ICT), to discuss international cooperation on acid deposition monitoring in East Asia.

Registration is now closed.

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Background

The Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) was established in 2001 as a regional intergovernmental network to promote cooperation among countries in East Asia to address acid deposition problems. In the last 20 years, the EANET has made excellent progress in acid deposition monitoring cooperation. The EANET has fostered a regional acid deposition monitoring methodology and scientific exchange platform and has contributed gradually to solving acid deposition problems in East Asia.

Considering the success of the EANET in tackling the acid deposition problem and relevant issues, the Participating Countries viewed the EANET could play a new strategic role by engaging their efforts in fighting air quality issues in the region. Therefore, at the 22nd Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22) of EANET in November 2020, Participating Countries agreed to expand the scope of the EANET to include cooperation related to wider air pollution matters in the future. Furthermore, at the IG22, the Republic of Korea expressed its intention to support EANET in organizing an awareness event in 2021. Therefore, the Secretariat has been working closely with the Republic of Korea to prepare the EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021’s sessions, according to the objectives of the EANET’s awareness activities.

The EANET Awareness Forum in 2021 will be organized virtually on Monday, 6 September 13:00-16:15 Indochina Time (ICT) under the name “EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021”.

In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution at its 74th session to hold an International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September to urge the need to raise public awareness and promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality. The EANET Awareness Workshop will highlight this international day’s celebration according to the EANET’s objectives and will also take the opportunity to highlight the commemoration of this important day.

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Objective and Participants

Objective: to share ideas regarding the current international cooperation among countries on acid deposition and air pollution and on the strategic role the EANET may play in strengthening the cooperation in the Region. The EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 is expected to increase public understanding of regional acid deposition issues while reflecting the work achieved by the EANET in the last 20 years.

Participants: The EANET Awareness Workshop in 2021 will be attended by the EANET National Focal Points, EANET Scientific Advisory Committee members, policymakers and national researchers, and scientists of the Network’s 13 Participating Countries, as well as representatives of partner organizations working on acid deposition and air pollution-related issues.

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Agenda

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For further inquiries, contact the EANET Secretariat.

Updated EANET Monitoring Site Information Accessible Online

29 July 2021 – Niigata, Japan

To provide useful inputs for decision-making at the local, national, and regional levels, the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) has been monitoring acid deposition in East Asia for over 20 years. Recently, an updated version of the Site Information page has been released, displaying detailed information on each monitoring site.

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Monitoring Acid Deposition across East Asia

With a coverage expanded through Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, and Viet Nam, EANET has assisted over the years in the deployment of monitoring stations in very diverse urban, rural and remote locations.

These monitoring sites gather high-quality data related to the deposition of major acidifying species and related chemical substances such as SO42-, NO3, H+ in precipitation, SO2, NO2 ozone, and particulate matter (PM) in ambient air.

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Figure 1 – Location of acid deposition monitoring sites in 2019 (access the most recent sites’ information on the EANET Site Information page)

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Dry and Wet Deposition Monitoring

Among the EANET’s major activities, acid deposition monitoring consists mainly in the review and revision or establishment of national monitoring plans, as well as the deployment of monitoring equipment, using common methodologies, to measure wet deposition, dry deposition, analyze the impacts of these depositions on soil and vegetation as well as on the inland aquatic environment.

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Comprehensive Monitoring Site Information Available Online

Recently updated in June 2021, the Site Information webpage displays detailed information about the current 66 EANET monitoring sites, including, among others, each site’s address and location, characteristics, the monitoring period and items, and monitoring instrument name.

To find out more about the results and data on each site, visitors can also access the sites’ data reports on the Monitoring System Data Report page.

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Contact the Network Center if you wish to update any data from your monitoring site.

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Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

EANET 2021 Individual Training and Research Fellowship – Call for Applications

30 April 2021 – Niigata, Japan

Among EANET’s main activities, the promotion of research and studies related to acid deposition and air pollution problems is key. In 2021, the Network Center, based in Niigata, Japan, will host the EANET 2021 Individual Training and Fellowship, virtually.

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EANET 2021 Individual Training Webinars

From 4 to 19 November 2021, the Network Center (NC) will hold Individual Training webinars to improve acid deposition monitoring capabilities in the Participating Countries.

National Focal Points (NFPs) from EANET Participating Countries will nominate suitable candidate trainees. The selected trainees are expected to present their organization, attend discussions on the different training subjects and prepare a final presentation gathering the training’s results. All meetings will take place via an online platform due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Observers from EANET Participating Countries are also invited to attend the Individual Training and may get in touch with the NC to register for the webinars.

To complete the application, NFPs must submit the Individual Training application form before 16th July 2021 (the deadline, previously set to the 30th June, has been extended) and send it to the Planning and Training Department of the NC.

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Access the program of the 2021 Individual Training.

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EANET 2021 Research Fellowship

The annual research fellowship program of the Network Center has been implemented since 2005. Young researchers from the EANET Participating Countries are invited every year for approximately two months at the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) in Niigata, Japan, to carry out the fellowship research related to the objectives of EANET and develop their research papers. This year, the program will be implemented using an online platform due to COVID-19 restrictions.

EANET NFPs, SAC members, Heads of National Centers, and QA/QC Managers are invited to inform their national agencies and/or research institutes of this opportunity and encourage younger and promising researchers working in the field of air pollution, co-benefits, etc. to apply for this program.

To complete the application, NFPs must submit the Fellowship application form to the Planning and Training Department of the NC before 16th July 2021 (the deadline, previously set to the 30th June, has been extended).

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See here the List of Potential Research Themes.

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Photo credits: Plants in beakers by CHUTTERSNAP, free of the copyright license.