Taught in the following courses;

1. Atmosphere, Biogeosphere and Climate Change-ABCC
2. Large Scale Challenges to the Climate and Environment-LSCCE
3. Laboratory Methods in Envirnomental Science
4. Fieldwork course for undergraduates

My previous research work was on characterization of the carbonaceous aerosols in SSA in the light of their sources, properties and role in climate change/air pollution. 

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• PM_2.5 at a semi-rural site near Beijing, China

  2023. Johan Boman (et al.). X-Ray Spectrometry 52 (6), 447-456

  Article

  Breathing clean air is a human right still not accessible to everyone. In most of the world, the air is polluted, which affects both the environment and human health. To investigate the air pollution situation in a semi-rural part of northern China, particles with a diameter below 2.5 & mu;m (PM2.5) were collected in Changping, 40 km northwest of Beijing in May and June 2016. The particles were analyzed for mass, trace elements, and black carbon (BC). The mean PM2.5 mass was 49 & mu;g/m(3), ranging from 3.1 to 266 & mu;g/m(3). S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb were determined by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). They constituted 4% of the PM2.5 mass, with BC adding another 3%. Enrichment factor evaluation identified S, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb as the main anthropogenic contributors to environmental impact. A pollution load index (PLI) of 0.03 showed that the site could not be considered as polluted by the trace elements in PM2.5. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used for source apportionment of the PM2.5 content. The PMF analysis reveals that a mixture of mineral dust, fossil fuel combustion, industries, and salts were the main sources of air pollution. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were assessed, and both show a small health risk in the short study period. Following the development of PM2.5 concentrations over time in this part of China shows a decreasing trend of PM2.5 pollution, which is promising for the future.

  Read more about PM_2.5 at a semi-rural site near Beijing, China

• Atmospheric Black Carbon Loadings and Sources over Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa Are Governed by the Regional Savanna Fires

  2022. Leonard Kirago (et al.). Environmental Science and Technology 56 (22), 15460-15469

  Article

  Vast black carbon (BC) emissions from sub-Saharan Africa are perceived to warm the regional climate, impact rainfall patterns, and impair human respiratory health. However, the magnitudes of these perturbations are ill-constrained, largely due to limited ground-based observations and uncertainties in emissions from different sources. This paper reports multiyear concentrations of BC and other key PM_2.5 aerosol constituents from the Rwanda Climate Observatory, serving as a regional receptor site. We find a strong seasonal cycle for all investigated chemical species, where the maxima coincide with large-scale upwind savanna fires. BC concentrations show notable interannual variability, with no clear long-term trend. The Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C signatures of BC unambiguously show highly elevated biomass burning contributions, up to 93 ± 3%, with a clear and strong savanna burning imprint. We further observe a near-equal contribution from C3 and C4 plants, irrespective of air mass source region or season. In addition, the study provides improved relative emission factors of key aerosol components, organic carbon (OC), K⁺, and NO₃^–, in savanna-fires-influenced background atmosphere. Altogether, we report quantitative source constraints on Eastern Africa BC emissions, with implications for parameterization of satellite fire and bottom-up emission inventories as well as regional climate and chemical transport modeling. 

  Read more about Atmospheric Black Carbon Loadings and Sources over Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa Are Governed by the Regional Savanna Fires

Show all publications by Samuel Mwaniki Gaita at Stockholm University