email:                 [email protected] Tel:                    +27 (0) 12 420 4172 Office:               Geography Building 3-12

Research profile

Rebecca has a background in atmospheric chemistry, with a focus on air quality and climate change, and science-policy linkages. Rebecca’s research focus is on improving the understanding of air quality and atmospheric science in southern Africa using multiple data streams. This includes emissions inventory development, air quality modelling, using ground-based and remote sensing measurements, evidence-based air quality management planning, and the linkages between air quality and climate change in a regional to urban scale. Rebecca and her group are part of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Science. Before joining the University of Pretoria, Rebecca was a Principal Researcher in the Climate and Air Quality Modelling Group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa. She received her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder focusing on atmospheric science (aerosol particles in particular) and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. She was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy

Her current leadership activities include being a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Scientific Steering Committee for International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC). She is a Member of the Science Advisory Group of GURME under GAW (WMO GAW Urban Research Meteorology and Environment). She was a coordinating lead author for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and UNEP Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change in Africa. In addition, she is a founding member of the African group on Atmospheric Sciences (ANGA) under IGAC. She is the current Vice President of the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS). She is an Editor-in-Chief of the Clean Air Journal, and an editor for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Qualifications

• BS cum laude Environmental Chemistry, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, USA
• PhD Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

Courses presented

• WKD 155 Atmospheric structure and processes (2022 - present)
• AQM 814 Air pollution: society and environment (2022 - present)

Current postdoctoral fellow

• Dr Marisa Gonzalez, PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona, USA

Postgraduate students

Current

• Mbavhi Maliage, MSc dissertation, Dust storms over South Africa: synoptic weather patterns and evolution of meteorological variables associated with significant dust storm events. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland, Co-supervisor: Prof Liesl Dyson
• Nomsa Muthelo, MSc dissertationSimulating concentrations of nitrogen pollutants and related species across South Africa. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland, Co-supervisor: Dr Gregor Feig (SAEON/NRF)
• Sihle Nhlapo, MSc dissertation, Ambient measurement of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) in the Northern Drakensberg grassland landscape. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland, Co-supervisors: Dr Gregor Feig (SAEON/NRF) and Dr Kerneels Jaars (North-West University)
• Xander Oosthuysen, MSc dissertation, Impact of Ozone on Maize and Soybean Production across South Africa’s Highveld. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland
• Mogesh Naidoo, PhD thesis, Spatial investigation of atmospheric-land interactions of nitrogen species over South Africa. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland
• Danielle Millar, PhD thesis, Exploring the relationship between ambient air pollution and health among adolescents in South Africa. Supervisor: Prof Caradee Wright (SAMRC), Co-supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland
• Terrence Sepuru, PhD thesis, Quantifying the tropospheric column concentrations and emissions of air pollutants and their trends over the Industrial highveld. Supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland, Co-supervisor: Dr Eloise Marais (UCL, UK)
• Monray Belelie, PhD thesis, Dust deposition and seawater fertilization in the Benguela current. North-West University. Supervisor: Prof Stuart Piketh, Co-supervisors Prof Roelof Burger and Prof Rebecca Garland
• Siyabonga Simelane, PhD thesis, Spatial variability of PM2.5 in an urban setting: Case study of Gauteng Province. University of Johannesburg, Supervisor: Dr Kristy Langeman, Co-supervisor: Prof Rebecca Garland

Graduated postgraduate students

• MSc Supervisor for Ngwako Kwatala, North-West University (completed 2023)
• MSc Supervisor for Patricia van der Walt, North-West University (completed 2023)
• PhD Co-supervisor for Anzel de Lange, University of Pretoria (completed 2021)
• MSc Supervisor for Thabo Makgoale, North-West University (completed 2021)
• MSc Supervisor for Gift Rambuwani, North-West University (completed 2020)
• MSc Supervisor for Nopasika Xulu, North-West University (completed 2017)
• MSc Co-supervisor for Patience Shibambu, University of Pretoria (completed 2017)
• MSc Co-supervisor for Nelvia Phala, University of the Witwatersrand (completed 2015)

Research publications (peer-reviewed journals articles since 2012)

Scopus H-Index | Google Scholar H-index | ORCID ID

• Wright, C.Y., Kapwata, T., Wernecke, B., Malherbe, H., Bütow, K.-W., Naidoo, N., Garland, R.M., de Lange, A., Murray, G.E. and Smile, O. (2023) The Risk of Orofacial Cleft Lip/Palate Due to Maternal Ambient Air Pollution Exposure: A Call for Further Research in South Africa. Annals of Global Health, 89(1), 1-13. 10.5334/aogh.4007.
• Phaswana, S, Wright, CY, Garland, R.M., Khumalo, T.N. Naidoo, R.N. (2022) Lagged acute respiratory outcomes among children related to ambient pollutant exposure in a high exposure setting in South Africa, Environmental Epidemiology, 6(6), 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000228.
• Millar, D.A., Kapwata, T., Kunene, Z., Mogotsi, M., Wernecke, B., Garland, R.M., Mathee, A., Theron, L., Levine, D.T., Ungar, M., Batini, C., John, C., Wright, C.Y. (2022) Respiratory health among adolescents living in the Highveld Air Pollution Priority Area in South Africa, BMC Public Health, 22, 2136, 10.1186/s12889-022-14497-8.
• Dos Santos, M., John, J., Garland, R.M., Palakatsela, R., Banos, A., Martens, P., Nemukula, B., Ramathuba, M., Nkohla, F., Lenyibi, K. (2022) Climate change and health within the South African context: A thematic content analysis study of climate change and health expert interviews, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine, 14(1).
• Nkosi, V., Mathee, A., Blesic, S., Kapwata, T., Kunene, Z., du Preez, D.J., Garland, R.,Wright, C.Y. (2022) Exploring Meteorological Conditions and Human Health Impacts during Two Dust Storm Events in Northern Cape Province, South Africa: Findings and Lessons Learnt, Atmosphere, 13, 424, 10.3390/atmos13030424.
• Liu C, Cai J, Chen R, Sera F, Guo Y, Tong S, Li S, Lavigne E, Correa PM, Ortega NV, Orru H, Maasikmets M, Jaakkola JJK, Ryti N, Breitner S, Schneider A, Katsouyanni K, Samoli E, Hashizume M, Honda Y, Ng CFS, Diaz MH, Valencia CC, Rao S, Palomares AD, Silva SPD, Madureira J, Holobâc IH, Fratianni S, Scovronick N, Garland R.M., Tobias A, Íñiguez C, Forsberg B, Åström C, Vicedo-Cabrera AM, Ragettli MS, Guo YL, Pan SC, Milojevic A, Bell ML, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J, Gasparrini A, Kan H. (2022) Coarse Particulate Air Pollution and Daily Mortality: A Global Study in 205 Cities, Am J Respir Crit Care Med., 10.1164/rccm.202111-2657OC.
• Paton-Walsh, C., Emmerson, K.M., Garland, R.M., Keywood, M., Hoelzemann, J.J., Huneeus, N., Buchholz, R.R., Humphries, R.S., Altieri, K., Schmale, J., Wilson, S.R., Labuschagne, C., Kalisa, E., Fisher, J.A., Deutscher, N.M., van Zyl, P.G., Beukes, J.P., Joubert, W., Martin, L., Mkololo, T., Barbosa, C., Andrade, M.d.F., Schofield, R., Mallet, M.D., Harvey, M.J., Formenti, P., Piketh, S.J., Olivares, G. (2022) Key challenges for tropospheric chemistry in the Southern Hemisphere, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 10.1525/elementa.2021.00050.
• Masselot, P., Sera, F., Schneider, R., Kan, H., Lavigne, É., Stafoggia, M., Tobias, A., Chen, H., Burnett, R.T., Schwartz, J., Zanobetti, A., Bell, M. L., Chen, B.Y., Leon Guo, Y.L., Ragettli, M. S., Vicedo-Cabrera, A.M., Åström, C., Forsberg, B., Íñiguez, C., Garland, R.M., Scovronick, N., Madureira, J., Nunes, B., De la Cruz Valencia, C., Hurtado Diaz, M., Honda, Y., Hashizume, M., Fook Cheng Ng, C., Samoli, E., Katsouyanni, K., Schneider, A., Breitner, S., Ryti, N., Jaakkola, J..J.K., Maasikmets, M., Orru, H., Guo, Y., Valdés Ortega, N., Matus Correa, P., Tong, S., Gasparrini, A. (2021) Differential mortality risks associated with PM2.5 components, Epidemiology, 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001455.
• Zhang, D., Du, L., Wang, W., Zhu, Q., Bi, J., Scovronick, N., Naidoo, M., Garland, R.M., Liu, Y. (2021) A machine learning model to estimate ambient PM2.5 concentrations in industrialized highveld region of South Africa, Remote Sensing of Environment, 10.1016/j.rse.2021.11271.
• Chen, G., Guo, Y., Yue, X., Tong, S., Gasparrini, A., Bell, M.L., Armstrong, B., Schwartz, J., Jaakkola, J.J.K., Zanobetti A.,Lavigne, E., Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, P., Kan, H., Royé, D., Milojevic, A., Overcenco, A., Urban, A., Schneider, A., Entezari, A., Vicedo-Cabrera, A.M., Zeka, A., Tobias, A., Nunes, B., Alahmad, B., Forsberg, B., Pan, S.C., Íñiguez, C., Ameling, C., De la Cruz Valencia, C., Åström, C., Houthuijs, D., Dung, D.V., Samoli, E., Mayvaneh, F., Sera, F., Carrasco-Escobar, G., Lei, Y., Orru, H., Kim, H., Holobaca, I.H. ,Kyselý, J., Paulo Teixeira, J., Madureira, J., Katsouyanni, K., Hurtado-Díaz, M., Maasikmets, M., Ragettli, M.S., Hashizume, M., Stafoggia, M., Pascal, M., Scortichini, M.,  de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coêlho, M., Valdés Ortega, N., Ryti, N.R.I., Scovronick, N., Matus, P.,Goodman, P., Garland, R.M., Abrutzky, R., Garcia, S.O., Rao, S., Fratianni, S., Ngoc Dang, T., Colistro, V., Huber, V., Lee, W., Seposo, X., Honda, Y.,  Guo, Y.L., Abramson, M.J., Samet, J.M., Li, S. (2021) Mortality risk attributable to wildfire-related PM_2.5 pollution in 749 cities worldwide during 2000‒2016, Lancet Planetary Health, 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00200-X.
• Sokhi, R.S., Singh, V., Querol, X., Finardi, S., Créso Targina, A., Andrade, M. de Fatima, Pavlovia, R., Garland, R.M., Kong, S., Massagué, J. et al (2021) A global observational analysis to understand changes in air quality during exceptionally low anthropogenic emission conditions, Environment International, 157, 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106818.
• Wright, C.Y., Kapwata, T., du Preez, D.J., Wernecke, B., Garland, R.M., Nkosi, V., Landman, W.A., Dyson, L.L, Norval, M. (2021) Major climate change-induced risks to human health in South Africa, Environmental Research, 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110973.
• De Lange, A., Naidoo, M., Garland, R.M., Dyson, L.L. (2021) The sensitivity of simulated surface-level pollution concentrations to WRF-ARW model PBL Parameterization schemes over the Highveld of South Africa, Atmospheric Research, 10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105517.
• De Lange, A., Naidoo, M., Garland, R.M., Dyson, L.L. (2021) Sensitivity of Meteorological variables on Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization Schemes in the WRF-ARW Model, Atmospheric Research, 247, 10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.105214.
• McNeill, J., Snider, G., Weagle, C.L., Walsh, B., Bissonnette, P., Stone, E., Abboud, I., Akoshile, C., Anh, N.X., Dong, J., Gagnon, G., Garland, R.M., He, K., Holben, B.N., Kahn, R., Kim, J.S., Lagrosas, N., Lestari, P., Liu, Y., Jeba, F., Joy, K.S., Martins, J.V., Misra, A., Norford, L.K., Quel, E.J., Salam, A., Schichtel, B., Tripathi, S.N., Wang, C., Zhang, Q., Brauer, M., Gibson, M.D., Rudich, Y., Martin, R.V. (2020) Large global variations in measured airborne metal concentrations driven by anthropogenic sources, Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-020-78789-y.
• Xulu, N.A., Piketh, S.J., Feig, G.T., Lack, D.A., Garland, R.M. (2020) Characterizing Light‑absorbing Aerosols in a Low‑income Settlement in South Africa, Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 20: 1812–1832, 10.4209/aaqr.2019.09.044.3.
• Vicedo-Cabrera, A.M., Sera, F., Liu,C., Armstrong, B., Milojevic, A., Guo, Y., Tong, S., Lavigne, E., Kyselý, J., Urban, A., Orru, H., Indermitte, E., Pascal, M., Huber, V., Schneider, A., Katsouyanni, K., Samoli, E., Stafoggia, M., Scortichini, M., Hashizume, M., Honda, Y., Ng, C.F.S., Hurtado, M., Cruz, J., Silva, S., Madureira, J., Scovronick, N., Garland, R.M., Kim, H., Tobias, A., Íñiguez, C., Forsberg, B., Åström, C., Ragettli, M.S., Röösli, M., Guo, Y.L., Chen, B.Y., Zanobetti, A., Schwartz, J., Bell, M.L., Kan, H., Gasparrini, A. (2020) Short-term association between ozone and mortality: a global study in 406 locations in 20 countries, BMJ (368), 10.1136/bmj.m108.
• Rother, H.A., John, J., Wright, C.Y., Irlam, J., Oosthuizen, R. Garland, R.M. (2020) Perceptions of occupation heat, sun exposure and health risk prevention: a qualitative study of forestry workers in South Africa, Atmosphere, 11(1), 10.3390/atmos11010037.
• Wright, C.Y., Kapwata, T., Wernecke, B., Garland, R.M., Nkosi, V., Shezi, B., Landman, W.A., Mathee, A. (2019) Gathering the evidence and identifying opportunities for future research in climate, heat and health in South Africa: The role of the South African Medical Research Council, S Afr Med J, 109(11 Suppl 1):S20-S24, 10.7196/SAMJ.2019.v109i11b.14253.
• Gates, A., Klein, M., Acquaotta, F., Garland, R.M., Scovronick, N. (2019) Short-term association between ambient temperature and homicide in South Africa: a case-crossover study, Environmental Health, (18), 10.1186/s12940-019-0549-4.
• Feig, G.T., Garland, R.M., Naidoo, S., Maluleke, A. van der Merwe, M. (2019) Assessment of changes in concentrations of selected criteria pollutants in the Vaal and Highveld priority areas, Clean Air Journal, 29(2), 10.17159/caj/2019/29/2.7464.
• De Lange, A., Garland, R.M., Dyson, L.L. (2019) Estimating Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations from a meteorological index for data-scarce regions: A pilot study, Atmospheric Pollution Research, (10) 1553-1564.
• Liu, C., Chen, R., Sera, F., Vicedo-Cabrera, A., Guo, Y., Tong, S., de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, M., Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, P., Lavigne, E., Matus Correa, P., Valdes Ortega, N., Osorio Garcia, S., Pascal, M., Stafoggia, M., Scortichini, M., Hashizume, M., Honda, Y., Hurtado, M., Cruz, J., Nunes, B., Teixeira, J.P., Kim, H.,  Tobias, A., Íñiguez, C., Forsberg, B., Åström, C., Ragettli, M.S., Guo, Y.L.L., Chen, B.Y., Bell, M.L., Wright, C.Y., Scovronick, N., Garland, R.M., Milojevic, A., Kyselý,J., Urban, A., Orru Aaron, H., Indermitte, E., Jaakkola, J., Ryti, N., Zanobetti, A., Schwartz, J., Cohen, A., Gasparrini, A., Kan, H. (2019) Associations of ambient particulate air pollution with daily total, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality: a global study in 652 cities, New England Journal of Medicine, 381:705-715, 10.1056/NEJMpa1817364.
• Horowitz, H.M., Garland, R.M., Thatcher, M., Landman, W.A., van der Merwe, J. and Engelbrecht, F.A. (2017) Evaluation of climate model aerosol seasonal and spatial variability over Africa using AERONET, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 17, 13999-14023.
• Garland, R.M., Naidoo, M., Sibiya, B. and Oosthuizen, R. (2017) Air quality indicators from the Environmental Performance Index: Potential use and limitations in South Africa, Clean Air Journal.
• Bidassey-Manilal, S., Wright, C.Y., Engelbrecht, J.C., Albers, P.N., Garland, R.M. and Matooane, M. (2016) Students’ perceived heat-health symptoms increased with warmer classroom temperatures in Johannesburg, South Africa, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, .
• Garland, R.M., Matoaane, M., Engelbrecht, F.A., Bopape, M.J., Landman, W.A., Naidoo, M., van der Merwe, J. and Wright, C.Y. (2015) Regional projections of high temperature days in Africa and the related potential risk to human health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12, 12577-12604.
• Engelbrecht, F, Adegoke, J, Bopape, M.J., Naidoo, M., Garland, R.M., Thatcher, M., McGregor, J., Katsfey, J., Werner, M., Ichoku, C. and Gatebe, C. (2015) Projections of rapidly rising surface temperatures over Africa under low mitigation, Environmental Research Letters, 10.
• Snider, G., Weagle, C.L., Martin, R.V., van Donkelaar, A, Conrad, K., Cunningham, D., Gordon, C., Zwicker, M., Akoshile, C., Artaxo, P., Anh, N.X., Brook, J., Dong, J., Garland, R.M., Greenwald, R., Driffith, D., He, K., Holben, B.N., Kahn, R., Koren, I., Lagrosas, N., Lestari, P., Ma, Z., Vanderlei Martins, J., Quel, E.J., Rudich, Y., Salam, A., Tripathi, S.N., Yu, C., Zhang, Q., Zhang, Y., Brauer, M., Cohen, A., Gibson, M.D. and Liu, Y. (2015) SPARTN: A global network to evaluate and enhance satellite-based estimates of ground-level particulate matter for global health applications, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 8, 505-521.
• Hersey S.P, Garland, R.M., Crosbie, E., Shingler, T., Sorooshian, A., Piketh, S. and Burger, R. (2015) An overview of regional and local characteristics of aerosols in South Africa using satellite, ground and modelling data, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics,15, 4259-4278.
• Lazenby, M.J., Landmanm W.A, Garland, R.M. and DeWitt, D.G. (2014) Seasonal temperature prediction skill over Southern Africa and human health, Meteorological Applications.
• Hyvärinen, A.P., Vakkari,V., Laakso, L., Hooda, R. K., Sharma, V. P., Panwar, T. S., Beukes, J. P. , van Zyl, P. G. , Josipovic, M. , Garland, R. M. , Andreae, M. O., Pöschl, U. and Petzold, A. (2013) Correction for a measurement artifact of the Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP) at high black carbon mass concentration levels, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques,6,81-90.
• Huffman, J.A., Sinha, B., Garland, R.M., Snee-Pollmann, A., Gunthe, S.S., Artaxo, P., Martin, S.T., Andreae, M.O. and Poeschl, U. (2012) Size distribution and temporal variation of biological aerosol particle in the Amazon rainforest characterized by microscopy and real-time UV-APS fluorescence techniques during AMAZE-08, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 12, 11997-12019.
• Li, X., Brauers, T., Haeseler, R., Bohn, B., Fuchs, H., Hofzumahaus, A., Holland, F., Lou, S., Lu, K.D., Rohrer, F., Hu, M., Zeng, L.M., Zhang, Y.H., Garland, R.M., Su, H., Nowak, A., Wiedensohler, A., Takegawa, N., Shao, M., and Wahner, A. (2012) Exploring the atmospheric chemistry of nitrous acid (HONO) at a rural site in southern China, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 12, 1497-1513.

Book chapters

• Garland, R.M. and Rother, H.A. 2017. Chapter 11. Human Health. In Davis-Reddy, C. and Vincent, K. “Climate risk and vulnerability, a handbook for southern Africa”, CSIR.
• Garland, R.M. 2017. Chapter 8. Human Health. In Mambo, J. and Faccer, K. “South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (SARVA), 2nd Edition. Understanding the social and environmental implications of global change”, DST.
• Garland, R.M., Stevenson, S. and Wright, C. 2016. Public Health Perspectives and Climate Change Law and Governance. In Humby, T.L., Kotzé, Rumble O. and Gilder, A. “Climate Change law and Governance in South Africa” Juta Company: Cape Town.
• Winkler, H., Altieri, K., Clarke, S., Garland, R.M., Kornelius, G. and Meas, M. 2016. Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In Scholes, R., Lochner, P., Schreiner, G., Snyman-Van der Walt, L. and de Jager, M. (eds.). 2016. Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo: A Scientific Assessment of the Opportunities and Risks. CSIR/IU/021MH/EXP/2016/003/A, ISBN 978-0-7988-5631-7, Pretoria: CSIR.
• Forbes, P.B.C. and Garland, R.M. Outdoor Air Pollution, in “The Quality of Air” eds. De La Guardua, M. and Armenta S., Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry Vol 73, Elsevier: Netherlands, 2016.

Recent communication, news and views

• Langerman, K., Garland, R.M., Feig, G., Mpanza, M., & Wernecke, B. (2023) South Africa’s electricity disaster is an air quality disaster, too, Clean Air Journal, 10.17159/caj/2023/33/1.15799.
• Wernecke, B., Langerman, K. E., Garland, R. M., & Feig, G.T. (2022) Ambient air pollution on the Highveld: An airshed at a watershed moment?, Clean Air Journal, 10.17159/caj/2022/32/1.14070.
• Garland, R.M. The air in South African Highveld cities smells foul in the winter: here’s why, The Conversation, 19 June 2022.
• Garland, R.M. South African court rules that clean air is a constitutional right: what needs to change, The Conversation, 23 March 2022.
• Garland, R.M., Langerman, K.E. South Africa’s power utility Eskom: how does it stack up in the pollution stakes?, The Conversation, 4 November 2021.
• Garland, R.M., Wernecke, B., Feig, G., Langerman, K. (2021) The new WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines: What do they mean for South Africa?, Clean Air Journal, 10.17159/caj/2020/31/2.12915.
• Subramanian, R. Garland, R. M. (2021) The powerful potential of low-cost sensors for air quality research in Africa, Clean Air Journal, 10.17159/caj/2021/31/1.11274.
• Garland, R.M, Plantinga, P. African countries need more air quality data – and sharing it unlocks its benefits, The Conversation, 11 October 2020.
• Garland, R.M., Feig, G.T., Kristy, Langerman, K. (2020) Clean Air Journal: supporting discussion on key African air quality issues, Clean Air Journal, 30(1), 10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8520.