Boundary layer processes and air pollution

Research in this area comprehends theoretical-applied studies aimed to analyses and understand the processes characterizing the lowest atmospheric layer in contact with the Earth’s surface. This is the layer where we live and where the main exchange processes in terms of heat, momentum, mass, etc. Occur.

In this area, applications to urban and mountain meteorology are studied through integrated approaches involving both intensive experimental field campaigns and high resolution numerical simulations.

The main research arguments involve local and thermal circulation, the urban heat island, pollutant dispersion at different scales and in different topographic conditions.

Studies in this area benefit from mutual exchanges and interactions with the other research lines of the group, in particular with that of atmospheric dynamics and climate; in particular, traditional multiscale dynamics is integrated through novel parameterisations capable to capture exchange processes occurring at the surface-atmosphere interface. Furthermore, high-resolution CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations are applied to investigate exchange and dispersion processes at small scale, in both urban and rural environment.

One of the priorities is to identify novel and nature-based-solutions capable to contemporarily improve thermal comfort and air quality in urban areas, with notable results reached within international projects (H2020-iSCAPE www.iscape-project.eu; H2020-OPERANDUM https://www.operandum-project.eu/).