31 July 2024, Niigata, Japan

The Technical and Training (TNT) program of the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Republic of Korea, and the EANET Capacity Building Program have been collaborating since 2023 to provide training on acid deposition and air quality management for the EANET Participating Countries. The first session of the program was held in the Republic of Korea and Japan in April and May 2024, offering training to four government representatives from the EANET Participating Countries.

 .

Background

Since 2002, the EANET has trained over 200 government officials and researchers on acid deposition and air quality management through its individual training and capacity-building activities conducted mainly at the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research  (ACAP) in Niigata, Japan, which hosts the Network Center for the EANET.

The National Institute of Environmental Research  (NIER), part of the Ministry of Environment in the Republic of Korea, was established in 1978. It serves as the country’s primary research institution for various environmental aspects. NIER is based in Incheon and operates 12 air quality monitoring stations and 4 river research centers. The institute conducts extensive research and policy development on environmental health, climate, air quality, water resources, and energy, and collaborates on international projects aimed at global environmental protection.

 .

NIER’s TNT and EANET’s Capacity Building Program Session 1 in April-May 2024

In 2024, the program was structured into two sessions, each comprising two parts, alternating between the Republic of Korea and Japan. The first session started in the Republic of Korea from April 28 to May 11, 2024, followed by Japan from May 11 to May 18, 2024. Four government officials and researchers from four EANET Participating Countries were selected to participate in this training, based on their professional backgrounds, technical expertise in monitoring activities, and motivation.

From late April to early May, in the Republic of Korea, participants first underwent comprehensive training at the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in Incheon, where lecturers presented their primary responsibilities, ongoing projects, and the specialized tools and instruments utilized in their divisions. Additionally, the trainees visited the Atmospheric Environment and Climate Change Laboratory at Seoul National University (SNU) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). During their visit to SNU, they learned about filtering and sampling, filter extraction and mass concentration measurement, and analysis of microelements (XRF, OC/EC). In the laboratory hands-on section, they gained practical experience in conducting analyses. At UNIST, lectures on international research collaboration on air quality, research instruments and tools for analyzing air quality, and method validation of satellite monitoring were delivered. The trainees also explored NIER’s Jeju monitoring station and the National Air Emission Inventory and Research Center (NAIR) under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea. At these locations, they learned about the Republic of Korea’s policies and strategies for managing air pollution, extensive monitoring, analysis, and forecasting of air pollutant sources.

.

.

During the second week of May, in Japan, participants visited the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Tsukuba City, where they received briefings and lab tours in the Climate Change Research Hall. The trainees were also introduced to the atmospheric chamber and lidar system. They received lectures on the Earth System Division (ESD), and observations of NO2 and greenhouse gases (GHG) using stationary and mobile networks. While at the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) in Niigata, EANET’s Network Centre, participants attended lectures covering a wide array of atmospheric environmental issues, including the ecological impacts of atmospheric deposition and air pollution in Europe, the USA, and Asia. The training also covered methods for monitoring soil, vegetation, inland aquatic environments, and catchment areas. Furthermore, participants learned about quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) activities in EANET, data reporting procedures, the Inter-laboratory Comparison Project, the analysis of EANET monitoring data (including from the Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia (PRSAD)), and an introduction to emission inventories and air quality modeling. They also received an introduction to Air Quality Monitoring Systems Using Low-Cost Sensors (LCS). Finally, participants visited the EANET Niigata-Maki monitoring site. During this visit, participants had the opportunity to observe wet-only samplers (both weekly and daily), the filter pack system, automatic monitors for SO2, NOx, O3, PM2.5, and PM2.5 components, as well as meteorology monitors. This visit provided participants with hands-on practice using field equipment for air quality monitoring.

.

.

Enhancing Expertise in the EANET Participating Countries

The training’s feedback survey indicated that all participants found the program in the Republic of Korea and Japan to be highly valuable. It is anticipated that the experience and knowledge gained will be disseminated to colleagues in their respective countries through seminars, lectures, or study meetings, further enhancing expertise in air quality management in the EANET Participating Countries.

.

The second session of the Technical and Training Capacity Building Program will be held in Japan and the Republic of Korea in September and October 2024.

.

The TNT and EANET Capacity Building Program in 2024 was approved at the Twenty-fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET (IG25) in November 2023 as a Project Activity, co-funded by the EANET Project Fund and the Republic of Korea. Find out more about the EANET Project Fund.

.

View more photos of the TNT Capacity Building program session 1 on Flickr.

.

Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET.