monthly averaged anthropogenic aerosol direct radiative forcing over the mediterranean based on aeronet aerosol properties

Abstract. The all-sky direct radiative effect by anthropogenic aerosol (DREa) is calculated in the solar (0.3–4 μm) and infrared (4–200 μm) spectral ranges for six Mediterranean sites. The sites are differently affected by pollution and together reflect typical aerosol impacts that are expected over land and coastal sites of the central Mediterranean basin. Central to the simulations are aerosol optical properties from AERONET sun-/sky-photometer statistics for the year 2003. A discussion on the variability of the overall (natural + anthropogenic) aerosol properties with site location is provided. Supplementary data include MODIS satellite sensor based solar surface albedos, ISCCP products for high- mid- and low cloud cover and estimates for the anthropogenic aerosol fraction from global aerosol models. Since anthropogenic aerosol particles are considered to be smaller than 1 μm in size, mainly the solar radiation transfer is affected with impacts only during sun-light hours. At all sites the (daily average) solar DREa is negative all year round at the top of the atmosphere (ToA). Hence, anthropogenic particles produce over coastal and land sites of the central Mediterranean a significant cooling effect. Monthly DREa values vary from site to site and are seasonally dependent as a consequence of the seasonal dependence of available sun-light and microphysical aerosol properties. At the ToA the monthly average DREa is −(4±1) W m−2 during spring-summer (SS, April–September) and −(2±1) W m−2 during autumn-winter (AW, October–March) at the polluted sites. In contrast, it varies between −(3±1) W m−2 and −(1±1) W m−2 on SS and AW, respectively at the less polluted site. Due to atmospheric absorption the DREa at the surface is larger than at the ToA. At the surface the monthly average DREa varies between the most and the least polluted site between −(7±1) W m−2 and −(4±1) W m−2 during SS, and between −(4±3) W m−2 and −(1±1) W m−2 during AW. The DREa at infrared wavelengths is positive but negligible, especially at the ToA (<0.3 W m−2). The average of DREa monthly-means referring to all sites has allowed getting a ToA- and sfc-DREa yearly-mean value of −(3±2) and −(5±3) W m−2, respectively at solar wavelengths. Last data, even if refer to a particular year, indicate that the radiative energy-balance of Central Mediterranean land and coastal sites is quite affected by anthropogenic particles

EARLINET observations of the 14-22-May long-range dust transport event during SAMUM 2006: Validation of results from dust transport modelling

We observed a long-range transport event of mineral dust from North Africa to South Europe during the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) 2006. Geometrical and optical properties of that dust plume were determined with Sun photometer of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Raman lidar near the North African source region, and with Sun photometers of AERONET and lidars of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) in the far field in Europe. Extinction-to-backscatter ratios of the dust plume over Morocco and Southern Europe do not differ. Ångstr¨om exponents increase with distance from Morocco. We simulated the transport, and geometrical and optical properties of the dust plume with a dust transport model. The model results and the experimental data show similar times regarding the appearance of the dust plume over each EARLINET site. Dust optical depth from the model agrees in most cases to particle optical depth measured with the Sun photometers. The vertical distribution of the mineral dust could be satisfactorily reproduced, if we use as benchmark the extinction profiles measured with lidar. In some cases we find differences. We assume that insufficient vertical resolution of the dust plume in the model calculations is one reason for these deviations

I'm ... and I can. Gender Bias nei giochi e nelle aspirazioni future

Il contributo di Anna Morena Tafuro e Rosita Maglie si pone come particolarmente ambizioso nella proposta di implementare, fin dalla scuola primaria, percorsi di educazione linguistica di genere attraverso l'utilizzo dell'inglese, ma non solo, come L2. Nello specifico, analizzando prodotti di consumo per l'infanzia, come giocattoli, film, cartoni, super eroi e pubblicità, le autrici si interrogano sulle modalità di costruzione e di decostruzione di gender bias in età scolare e avanzano proposte di didattica alterativa incentrate sulla trasmissione del concetto di gender equality

Detection of phenols in aqueous media via QCM chemical sensors with Langmuir-Blodgett active layers

Two phthalocyanines and a porphyrin with different central metal atoms (Cu, Ni and Co, resp.) were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique directly onto the quartz crystals of a piezoelec. app. and used as the active layer for the detection of phenols in liq. phase.� For the studied active layers, the subsequent statistical anal. revealed that in the sensing performances the responses of the two different phthalocyanines were redundant

Analisi numerica e sperimentale del processo di saldatura a scarica capacitiva per un profilo complesso in acciaio

Nel presente lavoro è stata implementata ed ottimizzata la simulazione del Processo di saldatura capacitiva CDW (Capacitor Discharge Welding) Multipoint, di recente sviluppo in ambito industriale. La tecnologia CDW consente di ottenere cordoni di saldatura di piccolissimo spessore, effetti di intaglio minimi, ridottissime zone termicamente alterate ed una buona caratteristica di continuità strutturale del materiale saldato. Tali caratteristiche rendono questo processo adatto per la riparazione efficace di componenti aeronautici fabbricati in lega speciale. In via preliminare, in questo lavoro, tale processo tecnologico è stato indagato nell’esecuzione e nella risposta meccanica di saldature sia su barre circolari da 12 mm che su provini opportunamente sagomati in acciaio AISI 304. In particolare è stata messa a punto una macro in ambiente FEM a programmazione parametrica, che permette di ottenere una stima della distribuzione di temperatura sulla superficie del profilo di contatto durante il processo di saldatura, tenendo in considerazione la variazione dell’area e della resistenza elettrica di contatto durante il tempo di scarica elettrica. Lo strumento ideato è stato utilizzato per lo studio del processo di saldatura con profili di geometria differente, in modo tale da valutare l’influenza della geometria del profilo e dei parametri di saldatura sul campo termico ottenuto e quindi sull’affidabilità del processo

Dust layer effects on the atmospheric radiative budget and heating rate profiles,

The effect of mineral aerosol optical properties and vertical distribution on clear-sky, instantaneous and daily-average aerosol direct radiative effects (DREs) and heating rates (HRs) is analyzed in the solar (S, 0.3-4 μm) and terrestrial (T, 4-80 μm) spectral domain, respectively. The used radiative transfer model is based on lidar, sun-sky photometer, and radiosonde measurements. The study focuses on the Sahara dust outbreak of July 16, 2009 which advected dust particles from north-western Africa over south-eastern Italy. Clear-sky, instantaneous aerosol DREs and HRs undergo large changes within few hours, for the variability of the dust aerosol properties and vertical distribution. The daily-average, clear-sky aerosol S-DRE is near -5 Wm -2 and -12 Wm -2 at the top of the atmosphere (ToA) and surface (sfc), respectively. The daily-average aerosol T-DRE offsets the S-DRE by about one third at the ToA and by about one half at the surface. The daily average aerosol HR integrated over the whole aerosol column is 0.5 and -0.3 K day -1 in the S and T domain, respectively. Thus, the all-wave integrated HR is 0.2 K day -1. These results highlight the importance of accounting for the interaction of dust particles with T and S radiation. Sensitivity tests indicate that the uncertainties of the aerosol refractive index, size distribution, and vertical distribution have on average a large impact on aerosol HRs in the S and T domain, respectively. Refractive index and aerosol size distribution uncertainties also have a large impact on S- and T-DREs. The aerosol vertical distribution that has a negligible impact on aerosol S-DREs, is important for aerosol T-DREs. It is also shown that aerosol HRs and DREs in the terrestrial domain are affected by the water vapour vertical distribution. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

Detection of Phenols in Aqueous Media via QCM Chemical Sensors with Langmuir-Blodgett Active Layers

Two phthalocyanines and a porphyrin with different central metal atoms (Cu, Ni and Co, resp.) were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique directly onto the quartz crystals of a piezoelec. app. and used as the active layer for the detection of phenols in liq. phase.� For the studied active layers, the subsequent statistical anal. revealed that in the sensing performances the responses of the two different phthalocyanines were redundant