In June 2023, ACS Publications launched ACS ES&T Air, a cutting-edge journal that publishes novel and globally relevant original research on all aspects of air quality sciences and engineering.
Led by Editor-in-Chief Professor Nga Lee (Sally) Ng, Ph.D., the journal focuses on investigations of outdoor and indoor air chemistry and physics, air pollution, and climate change that impact human and ecosystem health.
We are also excited to introduce two of ACS ES&T Air's inaugural Associate Editors. We invite you to read the interviews below to learn more about them and their vision for the journal in its inaugural year and beyond.
Professor Timothy H. Bertram, Ph.D., Associate Editor
Prof. Bertram is a Professor of Chemistry and Affiliate Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.
What is your research focus? What initially attracted you to your field?
Our research group is interested in chemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere and how these reactions impact atmospheric composition and air quality. I was first drawn to the field because of the unique combination of applied and fundamental science that is required to solve societally relevant questions in the environmental sceinces.
What do you hope to bring to your journal?
Our groups research interests span many sub-disciplines, from heterogeneous chemical reactions to air-sea gas exchange. As an associate editor at ES&T air I hope to bring a wide vision and perspective on the factors that control atmospheric composition and its impact on air quality and climate.
What are the major challenges facing your field today?
A major challenge in the field of atmospheric chemistry is connecting disparate length scales. As chemists, we are fascinated by the molecular details of reactions occurring at atmospheric interfaces, yet as environmental scientists we are humbled by the time and length scales over which reactions occur in nature. It remains a challenge to adequately represent molecular details of reactions in a computationally and fair way at the regional and/or global scale.
What do you think is the most interesting and/or important unsolved problem in your field?
Some of the most interesting questions in the field of atmospheric chemistry are how atmospheric composition will evolve in a changing climate and under different urban development scenarios. The non-linearities of atmospheric chemistry continue to deliver surprises.
Do you have a recent paper in an ACS journal that you'd like to highlight?
Reactive Uptake of Hydroperoxymethyl Thioformate to Sodium Chloride and Sodium Iodide Aerosol Particles
Christopher M. Jernigan, Christopher D. Cappa, and Timothy H. Bertram*
J. Phys. Chem. A 2022, 126, 27, 4476–4481
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c03222
Professor Ilona Riipinen, Ph.D., Associate Editor
Prof. Riipinen is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University, Sweden.
What is your research focus? What initially attracted you to your field?
Atmospheric phase transitions, aerosols and clouds. I love thermodynamics and wanted to work with something that has environmental applications.
What do you hope to bring to your journal?
Expertise on key processes linking atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate.
What are the major challenges facing your field today?
There are many, but I find developing simple approaches to describe complex atmospheric processes without losing accuracy particularly fascinating.
What do you think is the most interesting and/or important unsolved problem in your field?
Aerosol-cloud-climate interactions, particularly the relative roles of humans and the biosphere in them.
Do you have a recent paper in an ACS journal that you'd like to highlight?
Molecular Perspective on Water Vapor Accommodation into Ice and Its Dependence on Temperature
Daniel Schlesinger*, Samuel J. Lowe, Tinja Olenius, Xiangrui Kong, Jan B. C. Pettersson, and Ilona Riipinen*
J. Phys. Chem. A 2020, 124, 51, 10879–10889
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c09357
ACS ES&T Air's First Issue: Now Online and Free to Read!
We are pleased to announce that ACS ES&T Air's first issue is available and free to read. Visit the journal's website to learn more, meet the Editorial Board, and get information on how to submit a manuscript.
