Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR

Stable boundary layer conditions are long known for causing increasing pollutant concentrations. The region of the Po Valley has a particularly unfortunate topographical conformation which favours low wind and strong inversion situations, a meteorological characteristic that leads to so-called episo...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Denise Pernigotti, Andrea Massimo Rossa, Massimo Enrico Ferrario, Maria Sansone, Alessandro Benassi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Borntraeger 2007-10-01
Series:Meteorologische Zeitschrift
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0204
_version_ 1797332576205012992
author Denise Pernigotti
Andrea Massimo Rossa
Massimo Enrico Ferrario
Maria Sansone
Alessandro Benassi
author_facet Denise Pernigotti
Andrea Massimo Rossa
Massimo Enrico Ferrario
Maria Sansone
Alessandro Benassi
author_sort Denise Pernigotti
collection DOAJ
description Stable boundary layer conditions are long known for causing increasing pollutant concentrations. The region of the Po Valley has a particularly unfortunate topographical conformation which favours low wind and strong inversion situations, a meteorological characteristic that leads to so-called episodic conditions, especially during the cold season. ARPAV-CMT has recently installed a network of boundary layer profilers consisting of four passive microwave radiometers and four SODAR, funded in the framework of the DOCUP 2000-2006 project (DOCumento Unico di Programmazione) and of the Project 'Air pollution in the city of Padua'. This network is briefly presented and an illustration is given as to its potential to analyse the PM10 (particulate matter with diameter lower than 10 μm) concentration evolution. An entire year of data as well as a high-concentration episode are analyzed. In particular, emphasis is given to the documentation of the diurnal cycle of PM10 in relation to the atmospheric stability. It was found that PM10 is strongly modulated by synoptic-scale forcing and exhibits a strong diurnal cycle, especially in synoptically undisturbed conditions, when PM10 can exhibit large variations in just a few hours. A conceptualization is proposed which accounts for the daily emission cycle for the interpretation of the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentrations in anticyclonic conditions. It pinpoints the fundamentally different accumulation and removal mechanisms of the particulate matter from the atmosphere in stable and unstable conditions, highlighting the importance of the atmospheric stability at the time of the evening emission peak during the cold season.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T07:50:55Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7c7082d03a8543aba780cb32c66f83b2
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0941-2948
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T07:50:55Z
publishDate 2007-10-01
publisher Borntraeger
record_format Article
series Meteorologische Zeitschrift
spelling doaj.art-7c7082d03a8543aba780cb32c66f83b22024-02-02T14:47:12ZengBorntraegerMeteorologische Zeitschrift0941-29482007-10-0116550551110.1127/0941-2948/2007/020456036Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODARDenise PernigottiAndrea Massimo RossaMassimo Enrico FerrarioMaria SansoneAlessandro BenassiStable boundary layer conditions are long known for causing increasing pollutant concentrations. The region of the Po Valley has a particularly unfortunate topographical conformation which favours low wind and strong inversion situations, a meteorological characteristic that leads to so-called episodic conditions, especially during the cold season. ARPAV-CMT has recently installed a network of boundary layer profilers consisting of four passive microwave radiometers and four SODAR, funded in the framework of the DOCUP 2000-2006 project (DOCumento Unico di Programmazione) and of the Project 'Air pollution in the city of Padua'. This network is briefly presented and an illustration is given as to its potential to analyse the PM10 (particulate matter with diameter lower than 10 μm) concentration evolution. An entire year of data as well as a high-concentration episode are analyzed. In particular, emphasis is given to the documentation of the diurnal cycle of PM10 in relation to the atmospheric stability. It was found that PM10 is strongly modulated by synoptic-scale forcing and exhibits a strong diurnal cycle, especially in synoptically undisturbed conditions, when PM10 can exhibit large variations in just a few hours. A conceptualization is proposed which accounts for the daily emission cycle for the interpretation of the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentrations in anticyclonic conditions. It pinpoints the fundamentally different accumulation and removal mechanisms of the particulate matter from the atmosphere in stable and unstable conditions, highlighting the importance of the atmospheric stability at the time of the evening emission peak during the cold season.http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0204
spellingShingle Denise Pernigotti
Andrea Massimo Rossa
Massimo Enrico Ferrario
Maria Sansone
Alessandro Benassi
Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
Meteorologische Zeitschrift
title Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
title_full Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
title_fullStr Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
title_full_unstemmed Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
title_short Influence of ABL stability on the diurnal cycle of PM10 concentration: illustration of the potential of the new Veneto network of MW-radiometers and SODAR
title_sort influence of abl stability on the diurnal cycle of pm10 concentration illustration of the potential of the new veneto network of mw radiometers and sodar
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0204
work_keys_str_mv AT denisepernigotti influenceofablstabilityonthediurnalcycleofpm10concentrationillustrationofthepotentialofthenewvenetonetworkofmwradiometersandsodar
AT andreamassimorossa influenceofablstabilityonthediurnalcycleofpm10concentrationillustrationofthepotentialofthenewvenetonetworkofmwradiometersandsodar
AT massimoenricoferrario influenceofablstabilityonthediurnalcycleofpm10concentrationillustrationofthepotentialofthenewvenetonetworkofmwradiometersandsodar
AT mariasansone influenceofablstabilityonthediurnalcycleofpm10concentrationillustrationofthepotentialofthenewvenetonetworkofmwradiometersandsodar
AT alessandrobenassi influenceofablstabilityonthediurnalcycleofpm10concentrationillustrationofthepotentialofthenewvenetonetworkofmwradiometersandsodar