As global population and industrialization continue to grow, air pollution has become an increasingly serious problem. Effectively managing this challenge requires a multidisciplinary approach that brings together expertise from engineering, chemistry, economics, and policy. Within this framework, meteorology serves as a critical, yet often underutilized, component. The purpose of this brief is to synthesize key principles of air pollution meteorology into a coherent framework that can inform strategic urban planning and regulatory action.

The atmosphere plays a central role in determining the fate of pollutants released into the environment. Beyond simply transporting contaminants from a source, atmospheric conditions dictate their concentration, their potential for chemical transformation—such as the formation of smog or the corrosive effects of sulfur dioxide on humid days—and their ultimate impact on receptors like people, animals, and plants. For any given source, it is the state of the atmosphere that alone determines the resulting concentration of pollutants at any distance. Understanding the specific applications of meteorology is therefore the first step toward building a robust and effective air quality management strategy.