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From Transfer to Knowledge Co-Production: A Transdisciplinary Research Approach to Reduce Black Carbon Emissions in Metro Manila, Philippines
Air pollution, which kills an estimated 7 million people every year, is one of the greatest environmental health risks of our times. Finding solutions to this threat poses challenges to practitioners and policymakers alike. Increasing awareness on the benefits of transdisciplinary research in solution-oriented sustainable development projects has led to the establishment of the research project “A Transdisciplinary Approach to Mitigate Emissions of Black Carbon” (TAME-BC). This paper introduces the TAME-BC research setup that took place with Metro Manila, Philippines, case study. The approach integrates BC measurements with technological, socio-political, and health aspects to improve the scientific state of the art, policymaking, transport sector planning, and clinical studies related to air pollution health effects. The first pillar in the setup presents an (1) air quality assessment through aerosol measurements and instrumentation, complemented by a (2) description and assessment of the current policies, technologies, and practices of the transport sector that is responsible for pollution levels in the Philippines, as well as a (3) BC exposure and associated health impacts assessment. The fourth pillar is intercrossing, fostering (4) knowledge co-creation through stakeholder involvement across scales. We argue that this transdisciplinary approach is useful for research endeavors aiming for emission mitigation in rapidly urbanizing regions beyond Metro Manila.
Variability of Cosmogenic 35S in Rain—Resulting Implications for the Use of Radiosulfur as Natural Groundwater Residence Time Tracer
Information about groundwater residence times is essential for sustainable groundwater management. Naturally occurring radionuclides are suitable tools for related investigations. While the applicability of several long-lived radionuclides has been demonstrated for the investigation of long residence times (i.e., years, decades, centuries and more), studies that focus on sub-yearly residence times are only scarcely discussed in the literature. This shortage is mainly due to the rather small number of radionuclides that are generally suitable for the purpose and show at the same time adequately short half-lives. A promising innovative approach in this regard applies cosmogenic radiosulfur (35S). 35S is continuously produced in the stratosphere from where it is conveyed to the troposphere or lower atmosphere and finally transferred with the rain to the groundwater. As soon as the meteoric water enters the subsurface, its 35S activity decreases with an 87.4 day half-life, making 35S a suitable time tracer for investigating sub-yearly groundwater ages. However, since precipitation shows a varying 35S activity during the year, setting up a reliable 35S input function is required for sound data evaluation. That calls for (i) an investigation of the long-term variation of the 35S activity in the rain, (ii) the identification of the associated drivers and (iii) an approach for setting up a 35S input function based on easily attainable proxies. The paper discusses 35S activities in the rain recorded over a 12-month period, identifies natural and anthropogenic influences, and suggests an approach for setting up a 35S input function applying 7Be as a pro