This book has been published by Allenvi (French National Alliance for Environmental Research) to coincide with the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakesh. It is the outcome of work by academic researchers on both sides of the Mediterranean and provides a remarkable scientific review of the mechanisms of climate change and its impacts on the environment, the economy, health and Mediterranean societies. It will also be valuable in developing responses that draw on “scientific evidence” to address the issues of adaptation, resource conservation, solutions and risk prevention. Reflecting the full complexity of the Mediterranean environment, the book is a major scientific contribution to the climate issue, where various scientific considerations converge to break down the boundaries between disciplines.

This two-volume set provides an extensive review of the abundant past and recent literature on the atmospheric chemistry in the Mediterranean region. The books document the experience gained on the atmospheric composition over the Mediterranean basin and close areas after six decades of research, starting from early studies of radioactive aerosol fallouts and intense desert dust events in the 1960s, followed by studies of aerosols collected during oceanographic cruises in the early 1980s, and including subsequent knowledge from various surface monitoring stations, intensive campaigns, satellite climatologies, laboratory studies, as well as chemistry-transport and climate models. Through ten thematic sections, the authors examine the sources and fates of atmospheric pollutants over the Mediterranean basin and what we know about the main impacts of the regional atmospheric chemistry. This overview not only considers the full regional cycle of both aerosol and reactive gases including emissions, transport, transformations, and sinks, but also addresses their major impacts on air quality and health, on the radiative budget and climate, on marine chemistry and biogeochemistry . The volumes are an initiative from the ChArMEx project that has federated many studies on those topics in the 2010-2020decade, and update the scientific knowledge by integrating the ChArMEx and non-ChArMEx literature. The books are contributed by a large pool of well-known authors from the respective fields, mainly from France and Greece, but also from six other Mediterranean and eight non-Mediterranean countries. All Chapters have been peer-reviewed by international scientific experts in the corresponding domains. Volume 2 focuses on emissions and their sources, recent progress on chemical processes, aerosol properties, atmospheric deposition, and the impacts of air pollution on human health, regional climate and ecosystems. Recommendations for future research in these fields are finally proposed. The targeted audience is the academic community working on atmospheric chemistry and its impacts, especially teams having a special interest in the Mediterranean region, which includes many countries and institutes worldwide.

The atmosphere is an important pathway for the transport of continentally-derived material to the oceans. In this respect the Mediterranean Sea is of special importance because its atmosphere receives inputs of anthropogenic aerosols from the north and desert- derived Saharan dusts from the south. The dusts, much of which is transported in the form of seasonal `pulses', have important effects on climate, marine chemistry and sedimentation in the Mediterranean Sea. This volume brings together reviews and specific-topic papers on the following aspects of Saharan dust transport to the Mediterranean Sea: (i) the modelling of Saharan dust transport, (ii) the chemistry and mineralogy of the dusts and their effect on precipitation, (iii) the contribution of the dusts to marine sedimentation, (iv) the aerobiology of the dusts, and (v) climatic implications of Saharan dust transport. The volume is aimed at students and researchers with an interest in the climate, biogeochemistry and geology of the Mediterranean Sea.

An understanding of long-range transport of air pollutants in the atmosphere requires a knowledge of the relevant atmospheric dynamic and chemical processes active at the regional scale as well as the temporal and spatial distribution of emissions. Numerical modeling is the most efficient way to determine the atmospheric transport, photochemistry and deposition pathways. The book therefore discusses the physical and chemical processes that determine regional air pollution and presents the relevant modeling techniques to describe the different atmospheric processes that are active at that scale.

The First International Nitrogen Conference provided an opportunity for researchers and decision-makers to exchange information on environmental pollution by nitrogen compounds on three scales: global, continental/regional and local. The main topics were air, ground water and surface water pollution; emission sources, atmospheric chemistry, deposition processes and effects; disturbance of nitrogen cycles, critical loads and levels; assessments, policy development and evaluation; target groups and abatement techniques; and new approaches leading to an integrated abatement strategy.The peer-reviewed papers from the Conference presented in this volume will provide readers with a comprehensive review of the transport, deposition and impact on ecosystems of nitrogen.