2023/02/21

The Network Center for the EANET releases the Data Report 2021

21 February 2023 – Niigata, Japan

(This post has been updated from the original post, published on 25 March 2022).

Composed of acid deposition monitoring data gathered in 2021 and endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) in 2022, the “Data Report 2021” and the “Report of the Inter-laboratory Comparison Project 2021” have been uploaded in open access on EANET website.

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

In the context of the recent adoption in March 2022 by governments at UNEA-5.2 of a key resolution supporting the establishment of a comprehensive science policy panel on the sound management of chemicals and waste and preventing pollution, the importance of referring to high-quality data has never been greater.

Covering in 2022 the area of 13 countries, from Irkutsk (Russia) in the North to Lombok (Indonesia) in the South, Ochiishi (Japan) in the East, and Mandalay (Myanmar) in the West, the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET)’s total surface is extremely wide and diverse.

Since 1998 (during the preparatory phase activities of the Network), the EANET has deployed monitoring stations in urban, rural, and remote locations to monitor acid deposition. These monitoring sites gather high-quality data related to the deposition of major acidifying species and related chemical substances such as sulfate (SO₄²⁻), nitrate (NO₃⁻), hydrogen (H+) in precipitation, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and particulate matter (PM) in ambient air.

Monitoring data are used to evaluate the state of acid deposition as well as impacts on ecosystems. Data on the atmospheric wet deposition of acidic components and other relevant pollutants have for example been used to understand the impacts of pollution on forest ecosystems, such as for the study led by EANET scientists in the dry evergreen forest of Sakaerat, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, in northeastern Thailand.

Monitoring activities carried out in 2021 are presented in the Data Report 2021 (published in December 2022) and available in open access online.

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High-quality Data

Over the years, EANET scientists and monitoring officers have improved the collective knowledge and skills of the Network, among others on the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of the data.

The Report of the Inter-laboratory Comparison Project is conducted each year among the EANET analytical laboratories, based on the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programs of the Network. The objectives of this project are to recognize the analytical precision and accuracy of the measurement in each participating laboratory, to give further opportunities to improve the quality of the analysis, and to improve the reliability of analytical data through the assessment of suitable analytical methods and techniques.

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Why download EANET data?

EANET data is available for non-commercial use for scientists, researchers, students, mobile app developers, etc… and anyone who wishes to understand the state of acid deposition and air pollution in East Asia over the last two decades.

By widely sharing data, EANET aims at improving the global knowledge on acid deposition, as well as providing collaboration opportunities to improve public health and ecosystems’ restoration.

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How to access EANET Data?

The “Data Report 2021” and the “Report of the Inter-laboratory Comparison Project 2021” are available in open access online, for non-commercial use only.

Users may also access customized data, such as hourly, weekly, and bi-weekly data on wet and dry deposition monitoring, by registering on the monitoring portal.

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Download the “Data Report 2021” and the “Report of the Inter-laboratory Comparison Project 2021”

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Photo credits: Monitoring sites map: all rights reserved to EANET; cover photo: Cloud fall in Japan by S. Tsuchiya, (2023), free of copyrights.