TARGET

(Tropospheric Ambient Radicals in Ground level Environments of Taiwan)

Funded by the DFG (2026-2029)

Scientific objectives

TARGET aims at a further understanding of the formation of high pollution episodes in Taiwan with a particular focus on the role of peroxy radicals in polluted atmospheres. The combination of intensive observational periods of ground-based data set of radicals, precursors, related selected trace gases and meteorological ancillary measurements with adequate modelling will provide for a comprehensive analysis of the data obtained in the target location.

In a first step, aportable instrument for collocated ground-based measurement of the total sum of peroxy radicals reacting with NO to produce NO2will be developed and customized for the ground-based deployment in Taiwan.

TARGET deals specifically with two scientific objectives:

• Investigation of dominant chemical and physical processes involved in the local formation of elevated O3 and PM2.5 concentrations in different seasons of the year at the Tainan supersite in Taiwan. A particular focus will be on improving understanding of the role of peroxy radicals in the regional oxidation of polluted atmospheres.
• Investigation of the seasonality and relative importance of local and long-range transported pollution for the air quality in Southern Taiwan, in particular taking into consideration the effect of the East-Asian Monsoon. The measurement of peroxy radicals will provide essential information about photochemical activity to assess the relative contribution of local emissions in the sampled air masses.

Partner

In cooperation with the Research Center for Environmental Changes (RCEC-AS), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan