Beatriz Cabañas Galán
Professor in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Castilla-La Mancha
Is the research of good quality?
"As the article mentions, it seems to be a robust method based on hundreds of data collected across Europe over a considerable period of time".
What would you highlight from their results?
"The decrease in NOx [nitrogen oxides] and particulate emissions, which has been observed in other pollution studies on the use of biofuels and so on. And the difficulty of reducing the concentration of tropospheric ozone given its 'multipathway' formation".
Are there any limitations to take into account?
"Not in terms of data processing, but the explanation, especially with regard to fine particles and ozone, is complex given the sources of formation of both. The chemistry of these processes needs to be further investigated.
How can PM2.5 and O3 levels be reduced, and do large fires play a role?
"Of course fires have an influence, and in recent years we have had major fires in Europe in particular, but other natural phenomena such as volcanoes (Iceland, La Palma, etc.) also play a role.
It is a complex issue and, as the article shows, we need to continue our research".