EC-12. International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project

Abstract
Emissions to and reactions in the atmosphere affect all ecosystems and impact human health. Air moves freely over international boundaries. Understanding the atmosphere is a global problem that needs international collaboration and coordination. The International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project (igacproject.org) facilitates networking at the international level on global atmospheric chemistry issues, identifies knowledge gaps in atmospheric chemistry, and organizes strategies to address these gaps. The IGAC project is a Global Research Network under the umbrella of Future Earth and based at the University of Colorado. Led by a director and by a volunteer Scientific Steering Committee, membership is open and free to all. Members meet at biannual IGAC conferences and lead and participate in IGAC-Sponsored Activities (centered around scientific questions that need global collaboration) and regional Working Groups ( to build regional community and capacity in atmospheric chemistry). These activities and working groups are created by the community and new initiatives can be proposed at any time. Current activity foci include air quality monitoring and modeling, emissions inventories, tropospheric ozone, arctic pollution and cryochemistry, atmospheric chemistry of the asian monsoon, and others. Regional working groups include the Southern Hemisphere, the Americas, Africa, the Asian monsoon region, China, and Japan. In addition to fostering collaboration and communication, we are especially focused on supporting early career scientists and integrating them into our network by a biannual Early Career Short Course, developed and led by a committee of early career scientists, and by funding travel to IGAC conferences. The community supports equitable knowledge sharing and resources to empower the current and next generation of researchers and scientific leaders in atmospheric chemistry globally.