Jeffrey Reid of the Naval Research Laboratory's Marine Meteorological Division in Monterey, Calif., the SEAC4RS lead for aerosol and radiation activities, is working on other environmental issues much closer to where people live. "Many scientists in Southeast Asia and the United States want to improve air quality forecasting in the region. This requires that we understand how pollution and the weather interrelate. Nowhere on Earth compares to Southeast Asia’s complex meteorology. It may be the most difficult place on the planet to forecast. Because the region hosts both severe air pollution episodes and some of the cleanest areas on Earth, it is an excellent natural laboratory to understand how pollution, weather and climate interact."