Helen ApSimon

Helen Mary ApSimon, CBE (born 28 April 1942) is an English air pollution scientist and academic. She is a Professor of Air pollution Studies at Imperial College London. Her research includes the impact of acid rain, nuclear accidents and fine particulates on human health and ecosystems.

Professor

Helen ApSimon

CBE
Born
Helen Mary Hollingsworth

(1942-04-28) 28 April 1942
NationalityEnglish
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Alma materSomerville College, Oxford
University of St Andrews
Scientific career
FieldsAir pollution studies
InstitutionsImperial College London

Early life and education

ApSimon was born on 28 April 1942 in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England.[1] She was educated at Northampton High School, an all-girls independent school in Northampton, Northamptonshire.[2] She went on to study Mathematics at Somerville College, Oxford, graduating in 1960.[3] She completed a PhD in astrophysics at the University of St Andrews.

Research

ApSimon is a founding member and Chairman of the European Association for the Science of Air Pollution. ApSimon is well known for her research into the transport of radioactivity from the Chernobyl disaster.[4][5] In the immediate aftermath, Russia issued a media blackout and ApSimon was one of few European scientists to detect rising radiation levels.[6] She modelled the nuclear fallout, calculating Chernobyl released 15 – 20 megacuries of Iodine-131 and 1 – 2 megacuries of caesium-137.[7] During the first few weeks after the disaster, ApSimon calculated the radioactive plum covered Scandinavia and the North coast of Europe.[8] She travelled to Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria in 1988.[9]

ApSimon has also worked extensively for Task Forces under the UN ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, undertaking modelling and assessment of cost-effective strategies to reduce acidification, eutrophication, excess tropospheric ozone and fine particulate concentrations.[10][11]

ApSimon is interested in the impact of urban air pollution on human health and ecosystems.[12] In 1995, she calculated the cost of building damage due to acidic European atmospheres.[13] In 1998, the UK Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions commissioned ApSimon to study investigate the cost-effectiveness of controlling the shipping emissions in the North Sea.[14][12]

Publications
  • O'Driscoll R, Stettler MEJ, Molden N., et al., 2017, Real world CO2 and NOx emissions from 149 Euro 5 and 6 diesel, gasoline and hybrid passenger cars., Science of the Total Environment, Vol:621, ISSN 0048-9697, Pages:282–290
  • Aristodemou E., Boganegra L. M., Mottet L., et al., 2017, How tall buildings affect turbulent air flows and dispersion of pollution within a neighbourhood, Environmental Pollution, Vol:233, ISSN 0269-7491, Pages:782–796
  • O'Driscoll R., ApSimon H., Oxley T., et al., 2016, A portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) study of NOx and primary NO2 emissions from Euro 6 diesel passenger cars and comparison with COPERT emission factors, Atmospheric Environment, Vol:145, ISSN 1352-2310, Pages:81–91
  • Dore A., Reis S., Oxley T., et al., 2016, Calculation of Source-Receptor Matrices for Use in an Integrated Assessment Model and Assessment of Impacts on Natural Ecosystems, 34th International Technical Meeting on Air Pollution Modelling and its Application (ITM), SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN, Pages:107–112
  • Dore A., Reis S., Oxley T., et al., 2016, Calculation of Source-Receptor Matrices for Use in an Integrated Assessment Model and Assessment of Impacts on Natural Ecosystems, 34th International Technical Meeting on Air Pollution Modelling and its Application (ITM), SPRINGER INT PUBLISHING AG, Pages:107–112

Memberships

ApSimon has been a member of several expert groups, including the National Expert Group on Transboundary Air Pollution, and the Air Quality Expert Group of DEFRA.[15] In 1999, ApSimon was a member of the Royal Society Global Environmental Research Committee.[16] In 2004, she contributed to the European Commission National Emission Ceilings Directive Review.[17] ApSimon was invited to chair a new Heathrow air quality expert review group in 2017.[18]

Personal life

In 1967, Helen Hollingsworth married Hugh ApSimon.[1] He predeceased her, dying in 1998.[1]

Honours

In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, ApSimon was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to air pollution science.[19][20]

References
  1. "Apsimon, Prof. Helen Mary, (born 28 April 1942), Professor of Air Pollution Studies, Imperial College London, since 2001". ApSimon, Prof. Helen Mary. Who's Who 2018. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2017. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.274668.
  2. "Alumna of the Year 2017 nominee profile: Helen ApSimon, Northampton High School". Girls' Day School Trust. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. "College Report 2012-13". Issuu. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. Don., Rittner (2003). A to Z of scientists in weather and climate. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 978-1438109244. OCLC 234234840.
  5. Apsimon, Helen M.; Wilson, Julian (1 January 1991). "The application of numerical models to assess dispersion and deposition in the event of a nuclear accident". Journal of Forecasting. 10 (1–2): 91–103. doi:10.1002/for.3980100106. ISSN 1099-131X.
  6. "The Legacy and Findings of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, Global Concerns – BBC World Service". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  7. "Chernobyl: the grim statistics of cancer". New Scientist. 14 August 1986. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  8. Vandecasteele, C.M. (October 1996). "INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: "TEN YEARS AFTER THE CHERNOBYL CATASTROPHE"" (PDF). UNESCO. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "Helen Apsimon's Story | Winston Churchill Memorial Trust". www.wcmt.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  10. "Professor Helen ApSimon". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  11. "Alumna of the Year 2017 nominee profile: Helen ApSimon, Northampton High School". Girls' Day School Trust. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  12. Air pollution modeling and its application XIV. Gryning, Sven-Erik., Schiermeier, Francis A., NATO/CCMS International Technical Meeting on Air Pollution Modeling and its Application (24th : 2000 : Boulder, Colo.). New York: Kluwer Academic. 2001. ISBN 978-0306474606. OCLC 559433711.CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. Brimblecombe, Peter (23 November 2015). Urban pollution and changes to materials and building surfaces. Brimblecombe, Peter, 1949–. London. ISBN 978-1783268863. OCLC 947143726.
  14. Air pollution science for the 21st century. Austin, Jill, 1953 March 24-, Brimblecombe, Peter, 1949–, Sturges, W. T. (1st ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. 2002. ISBN 978-0080526904. OCLC 162131001.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. "EQUA Index – Who are we? | EQUA INDEX | Independent real world driving data". equaindex.com. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  16. "Helen ApSimon". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  17. "National Emission Ceilings Directive Review" (PDF). European Commission. 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  18. Davies, Phil (29 June 2017). "Heathrow staff incentivised to buy low-emission cars". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  19. "Queen's birthday honours list 2013: GCB, DBE and CBE". The Guardian. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  20. "Air pollution professor awarded CBE – Air Quality News". Air Quality News. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
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