Identification and Parameter Estimation of Multi-Scale Environmental Pollution Sources

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 916

Special Issue Editors

College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
Interests: built environment simulation; indoor air quality monitoring; inverse analysis of environmental parameters
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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Interests: building performance simulation; healthy-green building planning and design; indoor air quality monitoring and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
Interests: intelligent design of artificial environments and pollution control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Identifying pollution sources and estimating parameters in multi-scale environments are critical due to their direct impact on public health and industrial product quality, especially in the case of atmospheric pollution. The accurate identification of pollution sources enables a more precise forecasting of potential hazards and a better implementation of protective measures. However, despite its importance, research in this area faces several challenges. Most studies rely on numerical simulations, which often struggle with real-world applications due to the noise in sensor measurements and uncertainty in computational models. Overcoming these challenges is essential; thus, they should be studied alongside the integration of novel measurement techniques, computational methods, source identification, and estimation algorithms. Concentrating and publishing relevant research will foster a systematic understanding of these technologies, encouraging further advancements of pollution source identification and estimation.

To promote insights into the application and progress of pollution source identification and parameter estimation in multi-scale environments concerning different spatial scales (e.g., local and regional pollution), temporal scales (e.g., short-term and long-term pollution), and environmental media (e.g., air, soil, and water), this Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers to address the outlined challenges and explore innovative solutions. We invite high-quality research and review articles that shed light on various aspects of pollution source identification and parameter estimation, fostering a comprehensive understanding and facilitating its widespread adoption in multi-scale environments. Studies related to atmospheric and extreme environments are particularly welcome. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Advanced algorithms for atmospheric pollution source identification and parameter estimation;
  2. Integration of robust computational methods with real-time sensor technologies for enhanced source detection;
  3. Novel measurement techniques and experimental investigations on atmospheric pollution dispersion and source detection;
  4. Forecasting and risk assessment supported by accurate pollution source identification;
  5. Regulatory frameworks and comprehensive reviews related to pollution source identification methodologies;
  6. Low-cost sensor networks or approaches for real-world multi-scale pollution detection.

Dr. Fei Li
Prof. Dr. Zhuangbo Feng
Prof. Dr. Hao Cai
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • multi-scale environmental pollution
  • atmospheric pollution source identification
  • source term estimation
  • parameter estimation
  • novel measurement techniques
  • inverse problems

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 3187 KB  
Article
Formaldehyde Exposure and Associated Health Burdens Apportioned to Residential and Public Places Based on Personal and Environmental Measurements
by Donghui Mo, Huimin Zhang, Yuan Wang, Fei Tuo, Mengyao Chen, Zhen Cao, Yirui Xu, Lvyan Lin, Xiaojun Liang, Daniel Mmereki, Ting Li and Zhongming Bu
Atmosphere 2025, 16(10), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16101165 - 7 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 649
Abstract
Formaldehyde poses a critical indoor environmental health hazard, particularly in rapidly urbanizing settings. Residential and public buildings serve as the most significant exposure sites; however, the extent of urban populations’ formaldehyde exposure in these two types of environments remains unclear, posing challenges for [...] Read more.
Formaldehyde poses a critical indoor environmental health hazard, particularly in rapidly urbanizing settings. Residential and public buildings serve as the most significant exposure sites; however, the extent of urban populations’ formaldehyde exposure in these two types of environments remains unclear, posing challenges for precise prevention and control strategies. This study employed a comprehensive exposure assessment by combining personal exposure monitoring with environmental sampling to characterize formaldehyde exposure profiles and contributions apportioned to residential and public microenvironments. The mean personal exposure concentration of formaldehyde of working adults was 36.0 μg/m3 (SD: 30.7 μg/m3). The mean chronic daily intake derived from personal data was 5.1 μg/kg/day. Residential environments were identified as the predominant contributors to overall exposure (>50% of total exposure in working adults, and >80% in children/elderly), followed by public places (contributing to 40% among employed adults). For children under 5 years and the elderly, residential settings accounted for >80% of the contribution of total intake. The home and school environments contributed to approximately 60% and 30% of exposure for children and adolescents aged 5–18 years, respectively. Other microenvironments (such as vehicular and outdoor settings) contributed to less than 10%. Simulation scenarios further suggested that reducing indoor formaldehyde concentrations by 15–30% in both residential and public buildings could avert 10–20% of associated health burdens for targeted populations. These findings underscore the continuous need for formaldehyde exposure control in both residential and public environments as well as indoor health interventions in modern urban areas. Full article
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