O-POL is one of the three sub-projects within the Outreach cluster of MACC aiming at maximizing the usefulness of MACC products to the users of GMES atmospheric services. While O-INT links to end-users and downstream services in general, O-POL links particularly to the European air-quality policy infrastructure. The main objective of O-POL is to provide information and tools to authorities, and to suggest and/or facilitate policy responses designed to prevent (or mitigate) air pollution events. The O-POL sub-project intends to support both short-term policy responses (~72 hours) to predicted air quality episodes and long-term policy actions (months to years) that require the elaboration of international legislation and agreements.

O-POL has a regional focus and thus has strong links to three of the sub-projects in the Regional cluster of MACC, namely R-EDA, R-ENS, and R-EVA, commonly referred to as ‘R3’among MACC partners. Results and methods from R3 will be used to identify and investigate near-future air quality episodes. For example, the 3-D Var assimilation methods developed and tested in R3 are a first step to the implementation of 4-D Var which in turn provides crucial input for the new ‘adjoint’ method for short-term source-receptor calculations to be developed within O-POL. An additional R&D component of the sub-project is the development of a tool box, based on output from one or more atmospheric dispersion models and allowing policy makers to test different air quality measures interactively through a web page. O-POL is in contact with national EPAs and other policy makers to identify realistic short-term emission control measures, and to ensure a continuous flow of scientific information to support European air quality legislation.

The usefulness of MACC products for European policy makers is further ensured through science-policy interaction at workshops, through questionnaires and other media. It is envisaged to organize a first workshop with EIONET / EEA, DG-ENV and the JRC.

Updated information regarding near-term source-receptor calculations as well as links to the latest EMEP calculations under the LRTAP convention can be accessed here.