Air quality modeling in East Asia: present issues and future directions

The rapid economic growth has increased trace gas emissions in East Asia, resulting in various environmental issues, including acid deposition, regional haze, air quality degradation, and climate change, which are critical to the human existence. In particular, air quality degradation became an object of rising concern in East Asian countries. In order to understand sources, transport, and chemical transformation of air pollutants, scientists have widely used atmospheric chemical transport models (CTMs) in East Asia. Here we review our knowledge related to the present air quality issues and their modeling, focusing on O3 and particulate matter in East Asia. We finally suggest a few recommendations for the next generation of air quality models to improve their capability and use in this region.