Across Europe, member states are experiencing extreme difficulties in meeting air pollution Limit Values set by the 2008 Air Quality Directive. These difficulties raise serious concerns, both because of the consequential health impacts, and because the predicted trends in pollution emissions are not being realised in ambient concentrations, suggesting that our understanding of pollution sources and atmospheric processes is flawed. Although monitoring networks across Europe have increased over the last ten years, monitoring has focused on determining Limit Value compliance, using CEN standard methods, rather than making measurements that clarify the relative impact of different sources and allow the refinement of models. New monitoring approaches and new technologies need to be assessed in good time for the revision of the Directive in 2013.

The AAMG December 2010 meeting will focus on these new measurement challenges. Abstracts are invited on the conference themes, including new technologies for air pollution measurement, small sensors for dense urban networks or measurement of personal exposure, real-time measurement of PM components or physical properties, improved measurement of organic particles and gases, measurements for source apportionment and the quality assurance of new measurement methodologies.