US - Egypt Cooperative Research: Studying Air Quality Dynamics in Cairo, Egypt Using A Linear Genetic Programming Approach Over Remotely Sensed Atmospheric Parameters

这项合作研究项目由查普曼大学的Hesham El-Askary博士和埃及开罗大学的Ahmad Mahmoud博士共同开展，以确定埃及城市开罗及其周边大尼罗河三角洲地区经常出现的大气气溶胶污染物的来源。政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)的报告强调了城市污染对地表能源预算的影响。埃及开罗是一个人口稠密的城市地区，其特点是快速的土地利用和土地覆盖变化，这些活动会影响当地的气候。应用于开罗上空卫星观测的传统统计和信号处理技术显示了不同程度的自然和人为污染。在调查所涉年份中，已发现开罗和大尼罗河三角洲地区其他城市在4月和10月的同一个月同时发生不同程度的过量气溶胶事件(即沙尘暴和污染)。在观察到的数据中，水蒸气含量有上升的趋势，证实了气溶胶对局部气候变化的潜在贡献。PI计划在一段较长的时间内使用各种气溶胶卫星参数。这些参数将与线性遗传编程(LGP)技术相结合，以实现更好的气候模拟，目的是了解开罗不同空气污染事件的影响。这种耦合将有助于深入了解空气动力学的微观物理，并增进对所调查的不同大气参数的作用和贡献程度或影响程度的了解。所获得的结果可用于识别和控制污染源，以提供第一手的纠正行动、适当的管理和政策建议。这个合作研究项目为查普曼大学的初级科学家提供了国际研究机会。此外，它将加强大学的国际合作努力，以及国际和平研究所教授的本科课程的国际内容。该项目由美国-埃及联合基金计划资助，该计划为两国的科学家和工程师提供开展合作研究的资助。

This collaborative research project is being undertaken by Dr. Hesham El-Askary, Chapman University, and Dr. Ahmad Mahmoud, Cairo University, Egypt, to identify the sources of atmospheric aerosol pollutants that frequently settle over the Egyptian City of Cairo and its surrounding Greater Nile Delta region.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report emphasizes the impacts of urban pollution on the surface energy budget. Cairo, Egypt is a highly populated urban area characterized by rapid land use and land cover changes, activities that affect the local climate. Traditional statistical and signal processing techniques applied to satellite derived observations over Cairo have shown varying degrees of natural and anthropogenic pollution. Excess aerosol episodes (namely dust storms and pollution) of varying magnitude have been found to occur over Cairo and other cities in the Greater Nile Delta region concurrently on the same months of April and October for the years under investigation. Among the data observed, there is an upward trend of water vapor content, confirming a potential aerosol contribution to localized climate change. The PI plans to use various aerosol derived satellite parameters over an extended time period. These parameters will be coupled with linear genetic programming (LGP) technology to achieve better climate modeling for the purpose of understanding the effects of different air pollution episodes over Cairo. Such coupling will provide insight into the microphysics of the air dynamics and enhance the understanding of the role and degree of contribution or the level of impact of different atmospheric parameters under investigation. The obtained output can be utilized for the identification and control of pollution sources to provide first hand corrective actions, proper management and policy recommendations. This collaborative research project involves international research opportunities for a junior scientist at Chapman University. Further, it will enhance international collaborative efforts at the university, as well as the international content of undergraduate courses taught by the PI.The project is funded under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to undertake cooperative research.