Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality

Dear Colleagues,

In the last five years, the emergence of small-scale air quality sensors has led to a significant paradigm shift in the approach to measuring air quality beyond those afforded by traditional methods that use large, stationary, and expensive analyzers.  These sensors are, not only small, but also can be portable, providing data in near-real time at relatively low costs and using low amounts of power. As a result, sensors allow air quality to be measured with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution, transforming the way we understand our environment.  Sensor-based measurement devices are being used by scientists looking to better characterize air quality and its environmental and health impacts, as well as the emergence of Citizen Science, empowering individuals to communities to reduce their risk from air pollution.  Key factors enabling this widespread use include progress in miniaturized electronics and microfabrication, allowing for easy and inexpensive mass production. Sensors are currently available or being developed to measure ambient concentrations of air pollutants found in air, e.g., NO, NO₂, O₃, CO₂, CO, CH₄, VOC, organic species, as well as particulate matter (PM) mass in one or more size ranges and components of PM, e.g., black carbon.  However, many of the commercially available sensors have not been thoroughly evaluated and, currently, a significant fraction perform poorly relative to reference methods.

The aim of this Special issue is to 1) describe the current status of air pollution sensors and their applications, thus review articles are encouraged; 2) to describe newly developed sensors or those still under development, providing information about the sensor itself and how its performance has been evaluated; 3) sensor evaluation studies of one or more commercial or nearly commercial sensors; and 4) the application of sensors and data analysis approaches, especially where sensors have been deployed in multiple indoor and or outdoor settings, or multiple sensors have been used as a network over significant periods of time.

Dr. Paul A. Solomon
Dr. Melissa Lunden
Guest Editors

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