Analysis of atmospheric composition variability at remote and urban sites

Date
Speaker
Davide Putero

Analysis of atmospheric composition variability at remote and urban sites

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/932307501

Abstract
In this seminar I will show some of the works I have been involved in during the last years, mainly concerning the analysis of atmospheric composition variability in different areas of the Globe. Among the atmospheric pollutants are the short-lived climate forcers/pollutants (SLCF/P), i.e., those atmospheric substances characterized by short lifetimes, with harmful effects on climate, ecosystems, and human health. The high levels of these SLCF/P derive from a variety of factors, both of anthropogenic and natural origin. The variability of two key SLCF/P (i.e., black carbon, BC, and tropospheric ozone, O3) was first investigated in the southern Himalayas, by analyzing measurements carried out at Paknajol, a site in the Kathmandu Valley, and the high altitude WMO/GAW global station Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P). The influence of a natural process (i.e., stratospheric intrusions) to NCO-P concentrations was also assessed by using the Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Exchange Flux tool (STEFLUX). Near-surface O3 observations were also analyzed at the WMO/GAW “Concordia” station in Antarctica, providing the opportunity to investigate O3 without a significant anthropogenic influence. In the Antarctic region, stratospheric intrusions are still understudied, with large uncertainties and differences between the Antarctic plateau and the coast. For this reason, the Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Exchange in the Antarctic Region (STEAR) PNRA project, which aims at partly filling this gap, will be introduced. In the last part of the seminar, automatic procedures for the flagging and formatting of trace gases, atmospheric aerosols and meteorological data will be shown. More specifically, an overarching processing chain was developed, to create a number of data products (data files and reports) starting from the raw data, finally contributing to increase the maturity of measurements. These procedures are currently active for several measurement sites in Italy.

Venue
Virtual (Torino) https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/932307501