ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES AND MODELLING

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1 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES AND MODELLING Wind tunnel physical modelling Meteorological monitoring Air quality modelling Air quality monitoring Climate change modelling Changes in atmospheric composition influence directly many aspects of life, determining climate, air quality and atmospheric inputs to ecosystems. In turn, these changes affect the fundamental needs of human existence, such as human and ecosystem health, food production and water resources. Research on Atmospheric Sustainability is therefore fundamental for the future orientation of Europe s Sustainable Development Strategy. The Research Group on Atmospheric Processes and Modelling (APM) aims to create and disseminate scientific knowledge in the area of the atmosphere, in particular regarding changes in the atmosphere composition, emissions characterization, pollutants fluxes, and atmospheric processes modelling. Climate studies Hydrological cycles Precipitation regime Carbon cycle & balance Weather & climate variability Heat waves & side effects Impact on air quality Emissions Fire emissions Biogenic emissions Anthropogenic emissions Biomass burning Air Quality Air pollution Indoor air quality Physical & chemical processes Source apportionment Environmental & health effects To optimize its activities the Group APM is organized into three Laboratories with several synergies and complementarities: (i) Lab of Atmospheric Physics (LAP); (ii) Lab of Atmospheric Chemistry (LAC), and (iii) Lab on Emissions, Modelling and Climate Change(GEMAC). Coordination Ana Isabel Miranda miranda@ua.pt Tel: Fax: Web page

2 Some present and past group projects DOUROZONE Ozone risk for Douro s vineyards in present and future climates The objective of DOUROZONE is to evaluate the risk of Douro s vineyards exposure to O 3 in present and future climates. By assessing O 3 concentrations and deposition over the Douro valley potential damage in terms of productivity can then be evaluated. The most relevant outcome will be the production of an atlas forthe Douro Valley, for present, midandendof21 st century, consistingof mapsofmeteorologicalvariables, O 3 concentration and deposition fields and potential yield changes. CLICURB Urban atmospheric quality, climate change and resilience The main objective was to bridge the gap between global climate change trends and urban development considering the inclusion of adaptation strategies on planning and decision making process, assessing the impact of future climate on urban areas, using the Porto urban area case study. The most relevant outcome of the project was the production of an urban atlas, both for the present and the mid-21 st century, consisting of a series of layers (maps) for: urban climate, thermal comfort and human wellbeing, air pollutant emissions, air quality and resilient factors, which supported the guidelines for adapting urban areas to climate change. CLICURB results are of great utility for other research areas in the fields of water recourses management, agriculture, tourism, transportation safety, energy supply management, human health and others. AIRUSE Testing and Development of air quality mitigation measures in Southern Europe The main objective of the project was to provide to the National Authorities of Southern European countries the appropriate measures to reduce PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in air. In Southern Europe a great deal of improvement with respect to mitigation strategies can be made. The combination of diverse emission sources (dust intrusions) with the complex climatology (strong radiation, high photochemical conversion rates, low rainfall rate) significantly enhance the particle levels in Mediterranean countries. FUMEXP Fire-fighters smoke exposure and related health effects FUMEXP project assessed the effects of smoke on firefighters health based on extensive field measurements, during wildfires and experimental field burnings. Personal exposure of a group of firefighters to smoke was measured during two fire seasons. The evaluation was complemented with an air quality modelling system that allowed obtaining three dimensional concentration fields of a wide range of pollutants. Medical tests on selected firefighters constituted the last phase in the analysis of the potential health injuries resulting from this activity.

3 GEMAC Group on Emissions, Modelling and Climate Change Whatwedo GEMAC is dedicated to the analysis and modelling of atmospheric processes. Air quality modelling activities include emission modelling, source apportionment modelling, improvement of air quality forecasting systems, and implementation of tools among different modelling scales (from global to local). Numerical modelling activities are complemented with physical modelling in a wind tunnel laboratory. Climate change impacts on air pollution and on human health are also addressed. GEMAC also studies human exposure to atmospheric pollutants through the development of methodologies for the quantification of human exposure levels (indoor and outdoor) and its integration with local and urban models. Keywords Atmospheric emissions Air quality modelling Urban sustainability Forest fires Climate change Human health exposure Whoweare Professors Researchers & Post-doc PhD Students MSc Researchers EU Ongoing projects PT claircity.eu fairmode.jrc.ec.europa.eu Index-Air Coordination Ana Isabel Miranda miranda@ua.pt Tel: Web page

4 LAP Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics Whatwedo LAP is focused on all fundamental physics aspects of meteorology and climate. In particular the group performs research on i) numerical weather forecasting for general purposes and for renewable energy resources. ii) climate variability and change of extreme temperature, precipitation and wind events such as heat waves and intense precipitation episodes. iv) diagnostic studies of atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation iii) analysis of water vapour exchange processes between the troposphere and stratosphere; iii) Assessment of upper troposphere/lower stratosphere baroclinicity change and multiple tropopause event trends; and iv) contribution of atmospheric circulation changes for the variability of total ozone column. The group extensively uses observed meteorological/climate data and performs climate simulations. Keywords Numerical weather forecasting Climate variability and change Renewable Energies Extreme meteorological events Troposphere/lower stratosphere interaction Atmospheric rivers Stratospheric ozone Whoweare Professors Researchers & Post-doc Ongoing projects EXPAR ( ) -EXtremePrecipitation events in Antarctica: investigating the role of Atmospheric Rivers The main objective of the EXPAR project is to explore the nature of extreme precipitation events over the Antarctic ice sheet (contributing strongly to the ice sheet surface and total mass balance) and understand their relationship to the specific moisture pathways known as the atmospheric rivers that can quickly and efficiently transport large amounts of moisture from the lower latitudes poleward. This project is developed in collaboration with the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) organized by Swiss Polar Institute and has been endorsed by ProgramaPolar Portuguese (PROPOLAR). Coordination Alfredo Rocha Tel:

5 LAC Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry Whatwedo The research topics include measurement of organic aerosols, gas-particle equilibrium and conversion, source apportionment of aerosol particles, speciation of particulate organic species, marine aerosols and DMS, VOC emissions by forests, dry deposition of ozone and other gaseous pollutants, soiling of surfaces by carbonaceous aerosols, CO 2 fluxes over vegetated surfaces, chemical modelling of photochemical pollution, indoor air pollution, biomass burning emissions, exhaust and non-exhaust emissions, etc. During the last years the group has participated in various EU funded research projects, namely Assessment of the European Terrestrial Carbon Balance (CARBOEUROPE-IP), European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions(EUCAARI), and the Life+ Testing and Development of Air Quality Mitigation Measures in Southern Europe(AIRUSE) Keywords Deposition/emission fluxes Carbonaceous aerosols Source apportionment Indoor air quality Whoweare Professors Researchers & Post-doc PhD Student Collaboration in ongoing projects FIRE-C-BUDs - Indirect effects of wildfire (severity) on carbon fluxes and budgets AERORAIN -Influencia de la precipitación en la concentración de material particuladoy de polen: consecuencias climáticas y clínicas Fogo Island volcano: multi disciplinary Research on 2014 Eruption (FIRE), PTDC/GEOGEO/1123/2014 Coordination Célia Alves celia.alves@ua.pt Tel: Web page

6 Delivered services Air quality forecast Atlas CLICURB APM team members Foto grupo Acknowledgments