Peter Brimblecombe

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Peter Brimblecombe
Born1949 (age 74–75)
Canberra
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
Known for
AwardsSocietà Chimica Italiana Gold Medal
2005
Scientific career
FieldsAtmospheric Chemistry
Institutions
Thesis The Aqueous Oxidation of Atmospheric Sulphur Dioxide  (1973)
Doctoral advisorDavid John Spedding
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Peter Brimblecombe (born 1949)[1] is an Australian-born, British atmospheric chemist, currently emeritus professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia and National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.[2][3][4] In a five-decade research career, he has written or co-authored seven books and around 350 peer-reviewed papers on air pollution and its effects on human health and the environment,[5] but is probably best known as the author of The Big Smoke, which has been described as a definitive history of air pollution.[6][7][8]

Education and career[edit]

Brimblecombe was born in Canberra, Australia and educated at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he earned a BSc (1970), MSc (1971), and PhD in chemistry (1973).[4] His thesis, studying the aqueous chemistry of environmental sulfur dioxide, was supervised by David John Spedding.[9] Following his doctorate, he worked in Fiji for a year, lecturing in inorganic chemistry at the School of Natural Resources of the University of the South Pacific.[10] In 1974, he relocated to Britain to become first a lecturer then a professor in atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia (UEA), where he also served as associate dean from 2008 to 2011.[4] Following his retirement, after four decades at UEA, he moved to Hong Kong and shifted the focus of his research to study air pollution in Asia.[10] From 2013 to 2018, he was chair professor of environmental chemistry at the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, then became Distinguished Research Chair Professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.[4] He is currently emeritus professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia and at National Sun Yat-sen University.[4]

Research interests[edit]

Brimblecombe's wide-ranging research has covered many different aspects of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution, but also makes connections to broader history, art, and culture.[11] As he put it in a 2009 lecture: "Environmental pollution is not merely a matter of environmental chemistry. The smells have to be smelt. Painting and poetry can be as informative as a scientific description when trying to understand the complexities of environmental problems".[11]

His 1987 book The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London since Medieval Times is highly cited[12] and often described as a "definitive", "classic" history of air pollution,[6][7][13] although historians' views of the book were mixed.[14][15][16]

He has published numerous papers on the effects of air pollution on historic buildings and monuments,[17][18][19] and both historical artifacts and everyday objects.[20] In 2004, he was one of a group of experts from 10 countries involved in a three-year "Noah's Ark" project designed "to investigate the effects of climate change and pollution on Europe's historic built environment over the next 100 years".[21][22][23] He has provided scientific advice on heritage and conservation to the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the House of Lords.[11]

In the late 1990s, while working at UEA, Brimblecombe advised the National Trust on strategies to minimize the impact of dust on its historic collections,[24] which led the organization to "ban" dusting for a three years and prompted considerable news comment.[25][26][27] Giles Whittell, writing in The Times, noted that Brimblecombe, "who may know more about dust than anyone in the world, has advised historic houses to guide their visitors along routes with as few sharp turns as possible and to position their most precious artefacts at the end of the tour, by which time fatigue has set in and people fidget less".[28] In the same paper, Simon Jenkins described Brimblecombe as "the nation's mite-buster king-at-arms, who strikes terror in the sternest housekeeper" and expressed mixed views about the plan.[29]

Brimblecombe's recent research includes studies of how microplastics are carried through the environment,[10] how COVID-19 affected air pollution,[30] and how pollution is depicted in the work of artists and writers such as Monet and Dickens.[20][31][32]

Other activities[edit]

Brimblecombe served as chief editor of the academic journal Atmospheric Environment[33] and is currently editor in chief of the journal City and Environment Interactions.[34] He sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Cultural Heritage[35] and Environmental Chemistry.[36]

He is a frequent media commentator on issues related to pollution and the environment, including such topics as the ozone layer,[37] climate change,[38][39] air pollution in China,[40][41] atmospheric acidity and acid rain,[33][42] and the 1952 Great Smog of London.[43][44][45]

Awards[edit]

Brimblecombe has been awarded the 2005 Società Chimica Italiana Gold Medal for his environmental research and, as part of the Noah's Ark project, mapping the impacts of climate change on heritage, the 2009 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards Grand Prize, which recognizes excellence in heritage conservation.[4][46]

Selected publications[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Brimblecombe, Peter (1987). The Big Smoke (Routledge Revivals): A History of Air Pollution in London since Medieval Times. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-70329-4.
  • — (1996). Air Composition and Chemistry. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-45972-3.
  • — (2003). The Effects Of Air Pollution On The Built Environment. World Scientific. ISBN 978-1-78326-136-9.
  • — (2015). Urban Pollution And Changes To Materials And Building Surfaces. World Scientific. ISBN 978-1-78326-887-0.

Articles[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Brimblecombe, Peter, 1949-". US Library of Congress. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Dr. Peter Brimblecombe to Deliver Annual Hopke Distinguished Lecture at Clarkson University on April 13". 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Peter Brimblecombe". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Peter Brimblecombe (Emeritus Professor)". National Sun Yat-sen University. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Scopus Profile: Brimblecombe, Peter". Scopus. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b Pearce, Fred (5 December 1992). "Back to the days of deadly smogs: Forty years ago this week, four thousand Londoners died in the worst air-pollution disaster on record. London has cleaned up its act, but smog is killing again in other cities". New Scientist. Retrieved 2 June 2023. ... says Peter Brimblecombe ... whose book The Big Smoke is the definitive history of London's air pollution...
  7. ^ a b Lean, Geoffrey (6 December 2012). "The Great Smog of London". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 June 2023. ... as Prof Peter Brimblecombe in his classic book The Big Smoke, records...
  8. ^ Philip Eden (20 November 2008). Great British Weather Disasters. A&C Black. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8264-7621-0. OCLC 298177812. According to Peter Brimblecombe who wrote The Big Smoke - the definitive history of air pollution in London...
  9. ^ Brimblecombe, Peter (1973). The Aqueous Oxidation of Atmospheric Sulphur Dioxide. University of Auckland (Thesis). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Understanding chemistry is vital for making policy, regulatory and social decisions about air pollution – interview with Professor Peter Brimblecombe". National Sun Yat-sen University. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Collaborator: Professor Peter Brimblecombe". Invisible Dust. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Brimblecombe: The Big Smoke". Google Scholar. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ^ Woodford, Chris (2021). Breathless: Why Air Pollution Matters and How it Affects You. London: Icon. p. 61. ISBN 9781785787102. Peter Brimblecombe's The Big Smoke... remains one of the best introductions to this subject.
  14. ^ Hamlin, Christopher (1988). "Review of The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London since Medieval Times, by P. Brimblecombe". Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies. 20 (4): 654-655. doi:10.2307/4050228. JSTOR 4050228.
  15. ^ Luckin, Bill (1991). "Review of The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London Since Medieval Times., by P. Brimblecombe". The Economic History Review. 44 (4): 722–23. doi:10.2307/2597810. JSTOR 2597810.
  16. ^ Shallat, Todd (1987). "Measuring Pollution over Time, by Peter Brimblecombe". Science, Technology, & Human Values. 12 (3): 148–49. JSTOR 689396. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  17. ^ Plester, Jeremy (18 October 2007). "Weather: Weatherwatch: The Tower of London". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Cleaner air will make buildings turn green with lichen and moss". Asian News International. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  19. ^ Arthur, Charles (July 2004). "Stone-eating bugs present monumental challenge". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  20. ^ a b Brimblecombe, Peter (5 November 2013). "Air pollution ate my computer (and other vital objects)". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  21. ^ Taylor-Mills, Julie (October 2004). "A Noah's Ark of historic buildings and monuments at risk from climate change was launched in June". Habitat Australia. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  22. ^ Young, Robin (25 June 2004). "Noah's Ark plan to save Europe's cultural heritage". The Times. p. 15.
  23. ^ Follain, John (1 July 2007). "Climate threat to Europe's history". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  24. ^ Dillon, Brian; Najafi, Sina (2005). "Elementary Particles: An Interview with Peter Brimblecombe". Cabinet. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  25. ^ Bartlett, Gerald (4 March 2002). "National Trust to let the dust settle". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  26. ^ Yeo, Sophie (24 March 2015). "Are National Trust libraries at risk from climate change?". Carbon Brief. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  27. ^ Brown, Michael (4 March 2002). "Stately homes' libraries to acquire a handful of dust". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  28. ^ Whittell, Giles (28 August 2004). "Dust to dust". The Times. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  29. ^ Jenkins, Simon (8 March 2002). "At long last, cleanliness is next to sacrilege". The Times. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Long-range Transport of Air Pollutants To Taiwan During the Covid-19 Lockdown In Hubei Province". China Weekly News. 20 April 2021. p. 438.
  31. ^ Darcey, James (12 December 2022). "Were Impressionist Masters Painting a Polluted Reality?". EOS. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Talk will discuss artists' view of environment". Norwich Evening News. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Seabird Ammonia Emissions Contribute To Atmospheric Acidity". Science Daily. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  34. ^ "City and Environment Interactions". Elsevier. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  35. ^ "Journal of Cultural Heritage: Editorial Board". ScienceDirect. Elsevier. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  36. ^ "Environmental Chemistry: Editorial Structure". CSIRO Publishing. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  37. ^ Sample, Ian (7 August 2003). "Is it true that the hole in the ozone layer is closing up?". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  38. ^ Sherwin, Sky (8 January 2011). "The Guide: exhibitions: Invisible Dust, Norwich". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  39. ^ "Science meets heritage". The Engineer. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  40. ^ Cooper, Quentin. "Smog; Exploding stars; Animal-free research". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  41. ^ Mihm, Stephen (6 November 2013). "London's 'Great Smog' Provides Lessons for China". Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  42. ^ "Victorians provide clues for acid rain". The Times. 2 August 1982. p. 2.
  43. ^ Schraer, Rachel; D'Urso, Joey (4 February 2018). "Eight things more likely to kill you in 1970s Britain than today". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  44. ^ Davis, Devra (December 2002). "The great smog". History Today. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  45. ^ "History's dirty secret: we know what causes urban air pollution, and we know how to clean up our cities, but unfortunately there just isn't the political will to make it happen". Geographical. April 2004.
  46. ^ "ClimateUEA Roll of Honours". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 5 June 2023.

External links[edit]

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