Air quality is assessed at various levels and scales: from street, urban and regional to continental. This involves a combination of measurements, models and satellite observations. TNO’s wind tunnel also plays an important role in investigating air quality, specifically in a complex environment.

TNO’s expertise in the area of air quality and climate change is applied to clarify the relation between particulate matter and health. Other applications are research on the effectiveness of measures to comply with air quality standards and the role of particulate matter in the regional climate. In addition to particulate matter, there is a focus on the role of nitrogen in acidification (ammonia) and eutrification (nitrogen oxides) as well as the impact of nitrous oxide on climate change.