Professional Profile
Stefano Dietrich is a CNR researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in Rome, where he works on remote sensing and its applications. He holds a degree in Electronic Engineering from the University "La Sapienza" of Rome with an experimental thesis in Remote Sensing and Environmental Diagnostics, carried out at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IFA) of the CNR in Frascati, in collaboration with the Department of Electronic Engineering, entitled: "Estimation of precipitation intensity from satellite radiometric measurements".
Research experience
• Since 1994, he has carried out national and international research activities in the field of remote sensing and its applications. Initially, as a consultant for ESA projects and as Visiting Scientist at Florida State University, he was involved in the design and application of innovative concepts of passive microwave remote sensing, new sensors, algorithms and cal/val strategies in several national and international projects and proposals.
• Since 2001 he has been a permanent CNR researcher, coordinator of research projects in Antarctica (PNRA), of activities funded by the National Group for the Prevention of Hydrogeological Disasters (GNDCI) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). In 2005 he started the development and fine-tuning of algorithms in the EUMETSAT field to be included in the catalogue of the Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H SAF). He completed his participation in H SAF in 2022 when precipitation data, produced through the Air Force's CoMET, reached hundreds of European and African users in real time through EUMETCAST, EUMETSAT's distribution facility. Scientific Coordinator of the H SAF consortium in the second and third phase of the Continuous Operational Development Programme (CDOP-2 and CDOP-3), he was also responsible for the Satellite Meteorology sector at CNR-ISAC from 2011 to 2016.
• Starting with the European FLASH project, coordinated by Prof. Price, he devoted himself with increasing interest to the study of electrical activity in the atmosphere. In collaboration with Prof. Betz, deploying 15 sensors on the national territory, he included Italy in the LINET network. Since 2012, he has been coordinating the use of national data for scientific purposes. The quality of the network allows continuous real-time monitoring of the three-dimensional distribution of electrical discharges over Italy as well, with optimal values of detection efficiency and location accuracy for assimilation in numerical modelling and for nowcasting or very short-term forecasting of convective events. For years he has been dealing with these aspects, which are fundamental in the development of operational national warning services, within the framework of the agreement programmes between the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the ISAC-CNR.
• In recent years, he has contributed to multidisciplinary studies on Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGF) by coordinating the meteorological aspects in both the ASI High Energy Working Group and the ASI GAMMA-FLASH prize project launched in 2020.
Publications and editorial roles
• He has published over 100 scientific articles in international journals and conference proceedings, with an H-index of 25 according to Scopus.
• He is an editor for Frontiers in Atmospheric Sciences, Remote Sensing, and Atmosphere. He has been a member of the Steering Committee of the EGU Plinius series on Mediterranean Risks.