The project OCELOT (Organic Carbon Export mediated by Lagrangian Ocean Turbulence) aims to study the effects of small-scale ocean turbulence on the sedimentation of particulate organic matter (POM) and the efficiency of carbon export. The goal is to improve the description of small-scale marine biogeochemistry in ocean and Earth system models and to determine the impacts on climate feedbacks. To achieve this objective, a systematic study will be conducted that combines high-resolution numerical simulations and statistical analysis of oceanographic data. The results will lead to a new parameterization of particulate organic matter export, enabling oceanographers and climatologists to incorporate new assessments into marine and climate management policies and plans.

The planned research and development work is intended to support the realistic calculation of the exposure of the individual member of the public through the discharge of radioactive substances from nuclear plants and facilities in the course of activities that require a permit or notification using Lagrangian particle models. The Lagrangian model ARTM used for the retrospective calculation of radiation exposure through the air path since 2021 has so far been evaluated for the calculation of exposure from emissions of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants, but not for use in urban development. The research project aims to investigate the extent to which ARTM or the model chain, which usually consists of a wind field model and the actual dispersion model, is suitable for retrospective and prospective exposure modeling in a complex built-up, urban environment. A model validation and intercomparison is foreseen using six different atmospheric dispersion models at the local and urban scale. Ad-hoc wind-tunnel experiments will be carried on, considering both simplified geometries and scaled reproduction of real urban sites. Lagrangian particle models and computational fluid-dynamics models will be applied. Furthermore, it is to be investigated whether and, if so, which further dispersion models or model chains can be used in the realistic determination of the exposure of the population in the built-up area.

Il progetto risponde alla call Invitation to Tender, ESA-EOPSM-WIVE-SOW-4449 e rientra negli studi scientifici per il consolidamento dei requisiti della missione spaziale  WInd VElocity Radar Nephoscope - (WIVERN) attualmente in fase A. WIVERN è un sensore radar su piattaforma orbintante  intorno alla terra per l'osservazione delle nubi e precipitazione e le loro propietà dinamiche.  Le attività del CNR-ISAC si concentreranno nello stialre un piano di validazione delle performnce dei prodotti di WIVERN e di implementare tecniche di assimilazione dati delle pseudo osservazioni di WIVERN nei modelli di forecast meteorologici al fine di valutarne l'impatto atteso  nelle previsioni di eventi meteorologici estremi.