An isolated peak of atmospheric pressure caused by the explosion of the Hunga Tona-Hunga Ha’apai volcano
The BAQUNIN microbarometer installed at the urban observatory of the Sapienza Campus (Rome, Italy) recorded the shock wave due to the explosion of the Hunga Tona-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which reached Italy on the evening of 15 January 2022. The isolated peak at 19:52 UTC (red ellipse) is evident, with a pressure increase of about 1.6 mbar. The oscillations following the main peak are linked to other shock waves that reached the station from different directions. Since the eruption, which released...
Article published on Earth System Science Data: Advanced NO2 retrieval technique for the Brewer spectrophotometer applied to the 20-year record in Rome, Italy
Abstract: A re-evaluated data set of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column densities over Rome for the years 1996 to 2017 is here presented. This long-term record is obtained from ground-based direct sun measurements with a MkIV Brewer spectrophotometer (#067), further reprocessed using a novel algorithm. Compared to the original Brewer algorithm, the new method includes updated NO2 absorption cross sections and Rayleigh scattering coefficients, and accounts for additional atmospheric compounds and instrumental artefacts, such as the spectral transmittance of the...
Article published on Urban Climate: A wide-ranging investigation of the COVID-19 lockdown effects on the atmospheric composition in various Italian urban sites (AER– LOCUS)
Abstract: A widE-Ranging investigation of the first COVID-19 LOCkdown effects on the atmospheric composition in five Italian Urban Sites (AER–LOCUS) has been carried out and is presented in this study. The analysis uses particle and gas concentrations from surface in situ sampling, column aerosol and gas properties from photometer/spectrometers, and satellite NO2 determinations at five sites distributed over the whole Italian territory: Aosta, Milan, Bologna, Rome, and Taranto. These data are related to meteorological conditions to identify the numerous...
Sorbetto summer school
The 2nd International summer school SORBETTO, SOlar Radiation Based Established Techniques for aTmospheric Observations" is announced. The main topics are listed above. - Ground based instruments: Radiation theory, Photometry and networks, Spectrometry and networks and Metrology applied to solar radiometry -Satellite: Overview of Satellite Remote sensing, Overview on Satellite ESA missions and Cal/Val activities The school will be held on line from 13 to 15 September 2021, and it is open to researchers, PhD students and workers involved in this type of atmospheric...
A solitary wave at APL site
Solitary waves are a form of internal gravity wave that derives from the balance between the effect of dispersion and non-linearities. They appear in the observation as a pulse in the vertical velocity moving horizontally without significant amplitude decrease. The wave sources (e.g., interaction of the flow with orographic barriers or fronts) may be at large distance from the observation point. A classical weakly non-linear theory (Rottman and Einaudi, 1993) is used for retrieving the characteristics of solitary waves propagating...
Pigeon-borne bio loggers for air quality monitoring (SBAM): a pigeon release
Release of a homing pigeon for the continuous high-temporal resolution monitoring of CO2, atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity in the Rome area. The miniaturized sensors, equipped with GPS, are developed in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, Ornis italica and TechnoSmart Europe. Homing pigeons are released close to the urban site of BAQUNIN. On their homing routes, birds fly just above buildings, urban parks, heavily trafficked roads, and agricultural areas mostly within 50 meters of height above ground, accurately characterizing the...
Article published on Urban Climate: On the effect of sea breeze regime on aerosols and gases properties in the urban area of Rome, Italy
Abstract: Several ground-based remote sensing and in-situ instruments were used to investigate the development of the sea-breeze front and its effect on both the optical and physical aerosol properties, the Particulate Matter (PM) content and the tropospheric and near-surface NO2 concentrations. Most of the instruments belongs to the Boundary-layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN) supersite, in the urban area of Rome (Italy). Two characteristic sea-breeze patterns were identified: the front days, in which the sea-breeze front develops...