DOCSLIB.ORG

History and Perspective of Air Quality in Milan and the Po Valley: Scientific and Management Challenges

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
History and Perspective of Air Quality in Milan and the Po Valley: Scientific and Management Challenges History and perspective of air quality in Milan and the Po Valley: scientific and management challenges Guido Lanzani [email protected] Head of Air Quality Unit – Environmental Monitoring Area ARPA Lombardia Sandro Finardi [email protected] ARIANET Gian Luca Gurrieri [email protected] Head of Air Quality, Climate, Environ. sustainability Unit Lombardia Region 10 th International Conference on Air Quality: Science and application Milano March 15°, 2016 Milano and Lombardia: Where and how many Lombardia • Inhabitants: 9,9 milion Region • Population density: 419inab/km2 Milan • Inhabitants: 3,6 milion conurbation • Population density: 3.141inab/km2 – Po Valley: closed by mountains exceeding 2500 m a.s.l. on three sides – Meteorological conditions often adverse to air pollution dispersion History and perspective of air quality in Milan and the Po Valley – Important regional background (old and secondary). 2 Guido Lanzani – Sandro Finardi - Gian Luca Gurrieri Milano March 15 °, 2016 Meteorological conditions often adverse to air pollution dispersion Lack in wind Lack in wind comparisonFrequent 20 years very stable annualcomparison averagethermal wind 20 conditions years annual average wind Milano - Linate December 2015 Monthly mean temperature and humidity at 12:00 GMT Frequent very stable thermal conditions MI-Linate December 2015 Monthly mean temperature and History and perspective of air quality humidity at 12:00 GMT in Milan and the Po Valley 3 Guido Lanzani – Sandro Finardi - Gian Luca Gurrieri Milano March 15 °, 2016 Meteorological conditions often adverse to air pollution dispersion Lack in wind comparison 20 years annual average wind Frequent very stable thermal conditions MI-Linate December 2015 Monthly mean temperature and History and perspective of air quality humidity at 12:00 GMT in Milan and the Po Valley 4 Guido Lanzani – Sandro Finardi - Gian Luca Gurrieri Milano March 15 °, 2016 Air Quality Concentrations are decreasing but: • Widespread exceedances of PM10 daily limit (50 ug/m3) (80-100 every year) • NO2 annual limit exceedances, especially in traffic stations (annual mean in city from 39 to 62 µg/m3) • B(a)P standard non achieved where wood burning is more diffuse ( outside downtown) • Widespread exceedances of both health and vegetation Ozone protection standards (above) 5 Annual mean PM2.5 2013 Po Valley from 2015 EEA Air Quality Report Po Valley In Po Valley PM2.5 concentrations are often above 25 ug/m3 and don’t show important differences among type of stations 6 A (quite) common winter day PM10 daily concentration ≈ 500 km Limito (great Ponti (rural Milan): bck): 126 µg/m3 Venice: 123 µg/m3 158 µg/m3 Pavia: Mantova: 131 Torino: 156 µg/m3 µg/m3 132 µg/m3 Air quality data sharing PM10 daily concentrations are very similar in the whole Po Valley, platform /thanks to ARPA Emilia Romagna Piemonte, Liguria, Trentino,7 also in suburban and rural background stations Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia 93.2 percentile of O3 maximum daily 8-hours mean in 2013 Po Valley from 2015 EEA Air Quality Report In Po Valley frequent and widespread exceedances of health and Vegetation protection standards are registered 8 Milan PM composition Urban background station annual average PM10 PM2.5 from AIRUSE LIFE+ project 9 Milan PM composition Urban background station annual average PM10 PM2.5 from AIRUSE LIFE+ project – The scale of secondary PM is the whole basin – Local actions are not very effective – It is necessary to limit precursors emissions 10 – Often difficult to be modelled Lombardia Region Emission Inventory 2012 Sector NOx NH 3 PM10 CO 2eq 97% Energy production and refineries 6.2% 1.5% 18% from Residental combustion 10% 0.2% 45% 24% wood Industrial combustion 15% 0.5% 4.3% 12% Production processes 2.2% 4.9% 5.6% Extracton and distribution of fuels 2.7% Solven use 0.1% 4.0% 3.0% Road Transport 52% 1.1% 25% 23% Other mobile sources 11% 0.00% 3.0% 1.9% Waste treatment and disposal 2.9% 0.5% 0.4% 4.5% Agriculture 0.7% 98% 6.7% 11% Other sources and sinks 0.1% 5.9% -6.0% Fonte: INEMAR - ARPA Lombardia(2015), INEMAR, Inventario Emissioni in Atmosfera: emissioni in Regione Lombardia nell'anno 2012 – dati finali. ARPA Lombardia Settore Monitoraggi Ambientali. 11 Primary PM10 emissions by fuel (tons/year) 45% 14% 13% 22% 22% 21% 12 Emissions comparison Comparison SO2 NOx CO NH3 PM10 PM2.5 CO2 eq Lombardia - per capita -78% -29% -32% 35% -29% -21% -9% UE27 average Lombardia - per GDP -82% -42% -45% 11% -42% -35% -25% UE27 average Sources EU-27 Emissions http://www.ceip.at/webdab-emission-database/officially-reported-emission-data/ GHG EU-27 emissions http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/data-viewers/greenhouse-gases-viewer GDP EU-27 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&pcode=tps0000 EU-27 population 1&tableSelection=1&footnotes=yes&labeling=labels&plugin=1 13 Air Quality modelling in Po Valley and Lombardia Region • Many different air quality modelling studies have been dedicated / included Po Valley: – Among those performed in the last decade : Thunis et al., Atm. Env., 2007; Vautard et al., Atm. Env., 2007; Angelino et al., Env. Model. Assess., 2008; Carnevale et al., Env. Model. Assess., 2008; Silibello et al., Env. Model. Soft., 2008; de Meij et al., Atm. Env., 2009; Lonati et al., Atmos. Res. 2010; Pernigotti et al., Atm. Env., 2012; Mircea et al., Atm. Env., 2014; Finardi et al., Urb. Climate, 2014; Mircea et al., AAQM, 2016 – Model intercomparisons focused on or including Po Valley (CityDelta, POMI, EuroDelta,…) – EU and national projects including Po Valley (GEMS/MACC, MEGAPOLI, CityZen, MINNI...) 14 Air Quality modelling in Po Valley and Lombardia Region – PM often underestimated , in particular during winter, despite FromFrom Pernigotti Pernigotti et et al., al., 2012 2012 broad spectrum of models and different emission inventories. – Possible reasons – meteorological modelling: – Overestimation of wind speed and atmospheric dispersion, – Poor performance of surface/boundary layer turbulence parametrizations in From Lonati et al., 2010 low wind conditions, – air quality modelling: – coarse resolution – inadequate treatment of the formation of secondary organic and inorganic aerosol, – emission inventories: 15 underestimated some activity sectors Air Quality modelling in Po Valley and Lombardia Region – PM often underestimated , in particular during winter, despite From Pernigotti et al., 2012 broad spectrum of models and different emission inventories. – Possible reasons – meteorological modelling: – Overestimation of wind speed and atmospheric dispersion, – Poor performance of surface/boundary layer turbulence parametrizations in From Lonati et al., 2010 low wind conditions, – air quality modelling: – coarse resolution – inadequate treatment of the formation of secondary organic and inorganic aerosol, – emission inventories: 16 underestimated some activity sectors Local inventory, high res. and diagnostic meteorology improve results for PM2.5 and PM components 20 km PM10PM104 km PM10 • Increasing resolution:20 km from 20 PM104 km PM10 to 4 km grid size 2013 2014 Fract. Bias PM10 -0,09 -0,02 MINNI PROJECT Mircea et al (AAQR, in press) Impact of Grid Resolution on Fract. Bias PM2.5 0,11 0,17 Aerosol Predictions: A Case Study over Italy • Grid size 4 km • Diagnostic meteorology reduced wind overestimation • Local bottom-up high resolution inventory From: C. Colombi, E. Peroni et al EAC2015 17 Local inventory, high res. and diagnostic meteorology improve results for PM2.5 and PM components 20 km PM10PM104 km PM10 • Increasing resolution: from 20 to 4 km grid size MINNI PROJECT Mircea et al (AAQR, in press) Impact of Grid Resolution on Aerosol Predictions: A Case Study over Italy • Grid size 4 km • Diagnostic meteorology reduced wind overestimation • Local bottom-up high resolution inventory From: C. Colombi, E. Peroni et al EAC2015 18 Models are a key instrument in supporting policy development and enforcement Examples – Scenario studies supporting Air quality plan – Ammonia / NOx emissions reduction influence over the Po Valley: • Not obious considering what is the limiting factor • Agriculture Stakeholders produced autonomous evaluations PM2.5 Scenario -25.0% NH 3 From Angelino E. et al., Ammonia and Nitrogen emissions reduction influence on air quality over the Po Valley 19 Air Quality Conference 2014 PRIA: Regional plan of actions on air quality • Big LEZ: limitations up to euro 3 diesel cars TRANSPORT AND • Area C in Milan centre MOBILITY • Bikes and car sharing 40 measures • 2 new underground lines • Highway speed limits reduction (under study) • Promotion of energy efficiency and rational STATIONARY use of energy SOURCES • Wood combustion rules and limitations 37 measures • Industrial plants and waste treatment: BAT and limitations to resettle of new plants AGRICULTURAL AND BREEDING • Anaerobic digestion of manure and direct SECTOR injection in the field 14 measures 20 examples Conclusions • Despite the improvements, in Lombardia and Po Valley air quality is still poor, above all for PM and ozone • Orographic and meteorological condition play a crucial role although emissions are not higher than in other developed areas • Secondary PM is prevalent on primary one; to obtain improvements it is necessary to act both on primary and precursors pollutant emissions on the whole Po Valley (500 km long) • Traffic, wood burning, agriculture and industry all must be considered in policies against air pollution • In the past PM was often underestimated by air quality and scenario studies in Po Valley • Air quality modelling shows important improvements and it is an important tools in evaluating the results of policies • Air quality plan define a path for improvement even if actions are necessary at all the levels: local, regional, national, European 21 Thank You for Your attention.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sediments and Pollution in the Northern Adriatic Seaa
    Sediments and Pollution in the Northern Adriatic Seaa F. FRASCARI, M. FRIGNANI, S. GUERZONI, AND M. RAVAIOLI Zstituto di Geologia Marina Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche 40127 Bologna, Italy INTRODUCTION Most pollutants are known to have a strong tendency to interact with sus- pended organic and inorganic matter. Under certain conditions, the sediments may form deposits, where the sub- stances are stored and/or mineralized and removed from the external environ- ment. Various phenomena may, however, promote a pollutant release from the sediment towards the overlying waters. Molecular diffusion, bioturbation, resus- pension of bottom sediment and pumping due to low-intensity wave motion are phenomena that cause the transport of chemical species through the water-sedi- ment interface. The constituents that are mostly involved in these fluxes are the ones dissolved in the interstitial waters and those weakly linked to the solid. The fine mineral or flocculated sediments, which rapidly settle in the riverine prodelta,24 are the richest ones in easily exchangeable pollutants. On the other hand, the solid matter which sediments after a long transport attains a more stable equilibrium with the pollutants which are dissolved in the waters. The study of the sedimentation and transport processes of the particulate matter and associated pollutants is of great importance to understand the evolu- tion of the marine environmental quality. THE ADRIATIC SEA: GENERALITIES Problems of the open and coastal water pollution of the Adriatic Sea have been the concern of scientists and administrators for some time. Many national research programs, both related to the whole basin or with a more local concern, were called to study the Adriatic Sea, among which the applied program called “P.F.
    [Show full text]
  • "A Most Dangerous Tree": the Lombardy Poplar in Landscape Gardening
    "A Most Dangerous Tree": The Lombardy Poplar in Landscape Gardening Christina D. Wood ~ The history of the Lombardy poplar in America illustrates that there are fashions in trees just as in all else. "The Lombardy poplar," wrote Andrew Jackson may have originated in Persia or perhaps the Downing in 1841, "is too well known among Himalayan region; because the plant was not us to need any description."’ This was an ex- mentioned in Roman agricultural texts, writ- traordinary thing to say about a tree that had ers reasoned that it must have been introduced been introduced to North America less than to Italy from central Asia.3 But subsequent sixty years earlier. In that short time, this writers have thought it more likely that the distinctive cultivar of dominating height Lombardy sprang up as a mutant of the black had gained notoriety due to aggressive over- poplar. Augustine Henry found evidence that planting in the years just after its introduction. it originated between 1700 and 1720 in Lom- The Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra bardy and spread worldwide by cuttings, reach- ’Italica’) is a very tall, rapidly growing tree ing France in 1749, England in 1758, and North with a distinctively columnar shape, often America in 1784.4 It was soon widely planted with a buttressed base. It is a fastigiate muta- in Europe as an avenue tree, as an ornamental, tion of a male black poplar (P. nigra).2 As a and for a time, for its timber. According to at member of the willow family (Salicaceae)- least one source, it was used in Italy to make North American members of the genus in- crates for grapes until the early nineteenth clude the Eastern poplar (Populus deltoides), century, when its wood was abandoned for this bigtooth aspen (Populus granditata), and purpose in favor of that of P.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating the Effects of the Geography of Italy Geography Of
    Name: Date: Evaluating the Effects of the Geography of Italy Warm up writing space: Review: What are some geographical features that made settlement in ancient Greece difficult? Write as many as you can. Be able to explain why you picked them. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Give One / Get One Directions: • You will get 1 card with important information about Rome’s or Italy’s geography. Read and understand your card. • Record what you learned as a pro or a con on your T chart. • With your card and your T chart, stand up and move around to other students. • Trade information with other students. Explain your card to them (“Give One”), and then hear what they have to say (“Get One.”) Record their new information to your T chart. • Repeat! Geography of Italy Pros J Cons L Give one / Get one cards (Teachers, preprint and cut a set of these cards for each class. If there are more than 15 students in a class, print out a few doubles. It’s okay for some children to get the same card.) The hills of Rome Fertile volcanic soil 40% Mountainous The city-state of Rome was originally Active volcanoes in Italy (ex: Mt. About 40% of the Italian peninsula is built on seven hills. Fortifications and Etna, Mt. Vesuvius) that create lava covered by mountains. important buildings were placed at and ash help to make some of the the tops of the hills. Eventually, a land on the peninsula more fertile. city-wall was built around the hills. Peninsula Mediterranean climate Tiber River Italy is a narrow peninsula—land Italy, especially the southern part of The Tiber River links Rome, which is surrounded by water on 3 sides.
    [Show full text]
  • Geodetic Monitoring of the Subsidence in the Po River Delta (Italy)
    Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 21, EGU2019-4303, 2019 EGU General Assembly 2019 © Author(s) 2019. CC Attribution 4.0 license. Geodetic monitoring of the subsidence in the Po River Delta (Italy) Nicola Cenni (1), Massimo Fabris (2), Simone Fiaschi (3), Vladimiro Achilli (2), Mario Floris (1), Andrea Menin (2), Michele Monego (2), and Paolo Riccardi (4) (1) Dept. of Geosciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, (2) Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, (3) UCD School of Earth Sciences, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland, (4) Sarmap SA, Cascine di Barico, Purasca, Switzerland The Po is the largest river of Italy, it opens with a delta mouth in the Adriatic Sea and it is bounded by the Apennines to the South and by Alps to the North and West. The modern delta occupies a broad area of about 380 Km2, with a coastal extension of around 120 Km. Several industrial activities, intensive farming and important naturalistic areas are located in the Po delta. Most of this land lies below the mean sea level, factor that increases the flooding risk and endangers the human activities in the area and the delta ecosystem due to the combined effects of land subsidence and sea level rise. The subsidence in the Po delta can be considered as the combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. The natural land subsidence is in the order of some millimetres per year and is given by both tectonic and sediment compaction processes. The anthropogenic subsidence reaches some tens of millimetres per year and results mainly from the groundwater and gas extraction activities that began in the second half of the past century during the economic boom of Italy.
    [Show full text]
  • High Levels of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Found in Sediments and Fish from the Italian River Po and Its Lambro Tributary
    High levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in sediments and fish from the Italian River Po and its Lambro tributary Researchers have recommended that fish from some sections of the River 21 January 2016 Po and the River Lambro, one of the Italian River Po tributaries, should not be Issue 443 eaten due to high levels of some endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the river Subscribe to free sediments and fish. This recommendation is based on an extensive update weekly News Alert regarding pollution levels of such substances in the rivers. Source: Viganò, L., The River Po is Italy’s longest river. Some areas of the Po basin are densely populated Mascolo, G. & Roscioli, C. and the river has suffered pollution from municipal wastewater discharges, stormwater (2015) Emerging and runoff, sewer overflows, agricultural runoff and industrial waste discharges. However, priority contaminants with substantive information on most priority pollutants and contamination trends is lacking. endocrine active potentials in sediments and fish from To ensure all types of waters across Europe are clean and healthy, the European the River Po (Italy). Commission’s Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requires countries to identify Environmental Science and chemical pollutants in the aquatic environment and take action to prevent damage. Directive Pollution Research. 2008/105/EC, recently amended by Directive 2013/39/EU, sets environmental quality 22:14050–14066. DOI: standards (EQSs) for 45 so-called priority substances, which pose a significant risk to 10.1007/s11356-015- freshwater environments and/or to human health via those environments. 4388-8 A number of these priority substances have been identified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which interfere with wildlife and human hormones, affecting their normal Contact: development and functioning.
    [Show full text]
  • Adriatic Sea: Ecology (Draft Report)
    UNITED NATIONS UNEP(DEPI)/MED WG.408/Inf.14 UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN May 2015 Original: English Twelfth Meeting of Focal Points for Specially Protected Areas Athens, Greece, 25-29 May 2015 Agenda item 10: Marine and Coastal Protected Areas, including in the open seas and deep seas 10.2. Regional Working Programme for the Coastal and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea including the High Seas 10.2.1. Activities for the identification and creation of SPAMIs in the open seas, including the deep seas Adriatic Sea: Ecology (draft report) For environmental and economy reasons, this document is printed in a limited number and will not be distributed at the meeting. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies. UNEP/MAP RAC/SPA - Tunis, 2015 Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of RAC/SPA and UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. © 2015 United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) Boulevard du Leader Yasser Arafat B.P. 337 - 1080 Tunis Cedex - Tunisia E-mail: [email protected] The original version of this document was prepared for the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) by: Carlo CERRANO, RAC/SPA Consultant. Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Po Delta Lagoons by the Consorzio Di Bonifica Delta Del Po October - 2013
    THE PO DELTA LAGOONS BY THE CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA DELTA DEL PO OCTOBER - 2013 THE PO DELTA AND THE HYDRAULIC EFFICIENCY OF ITS DISTRIBUTARIES AND OUTLETS: THE STATE OF THE ART OF STUDIES AND KNOWLEDGE MONITORING THE WATER QUALITY IN THE PO DELTA LAGOONS: ANALYSIS OF CHEMICAL-PHYSICAL PARAMETERS MEASURED BETWEEN 2005 AND 2010 SHELLFISHING IN THE PO DELTA LAGOONS, VENETO: SOCIO–ECONOMIC ASPECTS ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING IN THE STABILIZATION OF THE SACCA SCARDOVARI THE PO DELTA LAGOONS OCTOBER - 2013 1 THE PO DELTA LAGOONS BY THE CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA DELTA DEL PO 2 PREFACE Presentation by Maurizio Conte (Veneto Region) 3 MANAGEMENT AND STUDYING OF THE PO DELTA by Fabrizio Ferro (Consorzio di Bonifica Delta del Po) 4 THE PO DELTA AND THE HYDRAULIC EFFICIENCY OF ITS DISTRIBUTARIES Studies & Research AND OUTLETS: THE STATE OF THE ART OF STUDIES AND KNOWLEDGE by Marco Zasso and Italo Saccardo (ARPAV Belluno), Giancarlo Mantovani (Consorzio di Bonifica Delta del Po), Bruno Matticchio (IPROS Padova), Alberto Agnetti and Silvano Pecora (ARPAEM Parma), Tommaso Settin (ARPAV Belluno, AIPO Rovigo) 22 MONITORING THE WATER QUALITY IN THE PO DELTA LAGOONS: ANALYSIS OF CHEMICAL-PHYSICAL PARAMETERS MEASURED BETWEEN 2005 AND 2010 by Pietro Traverso and Angelo Rubino (Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia), Davide Zanchettin (Max Planck Institute for Meteorology) 40 SHELLFISHING IN THE PO DELTA LAGOONS, VENETO: SOCIO–ECONOMIC ASPECTS by Francesco Donati (Professor of Agricultural Policies and Economics) and Elena Fabbro (Università di Udine) 58 ELEMENTS
    [Show full text]
  • Present Relative Sea Level Rise in the Northern Adriatic Coastal Area
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Scientific Open-access Literature Archive and Repository Present Relative Sea Level Rise in the Northern Adriatic Coastal Area L. Carbognin1, P. Teatini1, L. Tosi1, T. Strozzi2, A. Tomasin1 1, Institute of Marine Sciences, CNR, Venezia, Italy 2, GAMMA Remote Sensing Research and Consulting AG, Gumligen,¨ Switzerland [email protected] Abstract Relative sea level rise (RSLR), that has been occurred along the entire coastal areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea, includes land subsidence, both natural and man- induced, and eustacy. Their combined effect has produced relative ground settle- ments ranging from centimetres to meters. RSLR represents one of the geologic haz- ards threatening the low-lying coast. Recent progresses made in understanding these two processes are presented. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry has significantly improved the knowledge of actual land subsidence. In particular, com- prehensive maps of the vertical displacements occurred over the period 1992-2009 in the region between Venice and Ravenna reveal a significant spatial variability, rang- ing from a slight 1 to 2 mm·yr−1 uplift, to a serious subsidence of more than 15 mm·yr−1. The availability of tide gauge data in Trieste, Venice, and Ravenna allows accurate assessment and meaningful observations on sea level change. The period 1896-2006 is characterized by an average rise of 1.2±0.1 mm·yr−1. The analyses here performed show that a time series at least 50 yr long must be used to obtain sta- tistically significant results and reliable trend, due to the 7-8 year pseudo-cyclicity, recorded at many Mediterranean coastal stations.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change Projections for Mediterranean Region with Focus Over Alpine Region and Italy
    Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering B 4 (2015) 482-500 doi:10.17265/2162-5263/2015.09.004 D DAVID PUBLISHING Climate Change Projections for Mediterranean Region with Focus over Alpine Region and Italy Paola Faggian Department of Sustainable Development and Energy Sources, Ricercasul Sistema Energetico–RSESpa, Milano 20134, Italy Abstract: Climate change projections over the Mediterranean region have been elaborated by using the outputs of ten ENSEMBLES regional climate simulations with an horizontal resolution of 25 km under the SRES A1B emission scenario. The analysis concerns some surface atmospheric variables: mean sea level pressure, temperature, precipitation and wind speed. At first, model validations have been performed by comparing model results with E-OBS and ERA-Interim data in reproducing the last decades over some Italian sub-areas and the Alpine region. In spite of the considerable spread in the models’ performances to represent the reference climate, a multi-model reconstruction has been computed and some seasonal climate change projections have been elaborated. About the mean climate changes, the more significant signals expected by 2050 are a maximum warming (about 2 °C) and maximum drying (about 20%) in the southern Europe in summer. Moreover, the results indicate an increasing risk for some severe weather conditions: more days of extremely high temperature in summer over the whole area, a greater occurrence of flooding and storms over coasts during spring and autumn seasons and a more serious wet-snow event over Alpine region in winter. No significant signals of wind changes have been detected. Key words: ENSEMBLES simulations, Mediterranean climate change, future multi-model projections.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Regions: LOMBARDY
    OUR REGIONS LOMBARDY FAST FACTS TOTAL AREA: GRAPE VARIETIES: Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca), Moscato Bianco, Rebo, Merlot, Corvina, Croatina, Gropello TOTAL WINE PRODUCTION: 1,183 hl APPELLATIONS: Rosso di Valtellina DOC, Valtellina Superiore DOCG, Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG, Garda DOC, Provincia di Pavia IGT PRODUCERS CENTORRI, MILLE1, TENUTA SCERSCÉ OVERVIEW Lombardy is one of the largest regions in Italy, yet its name is not as well known as some other regions of Italy. Nevertheless, its capital Milan is one of the main gateways to Italy for Americans, and its lake districtparticularly Lake Comois a favorite destination for tourists. Lombardy (Lombardia in Italian) is a prosperous, energetic region that holds many treasures for visitors and for wine lovers. History: Lombardy takes its name from the Lombards, a tribe of people that originated in Sweden long ago and migrated over several centuries southward into Germany and Austria. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Lombards moved into northern Italy and established the Kingdom of the Lombards, which extended from Friuli across to Piedmont and halfway down the Italian Peninsula. The Lombard capital was Pavia in present-day Lombardy. Though the Lombards themselves were conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne, the name stuck, as Charlemagne took King of the Lombards as an additional title. From Charlemagne's time onward for a thousand years, modern-day Lombardy was largely in the orbit of the German-based Holy Roman Empire, but the emperor generally paid little attention to his Italian possessions, and the real power was wielded by local nobility and religious authorities in a constantly shifting mosaic of realms.
    [Show full text]
  • The November 1994 Flood Event on the Po River: Structural and Non-Structural Measures Against Inundations
    U.S.- Italy Research Workshop on the Hydrometeorology, Impacts, and Management of Extreme Floods Perugia (Italy), November 1995 THE NOVEMBER 1994 FLOOD EVENT ON THE PO RIVER: STRUCTURAL AND NON-STRUCTURAL MEASURES AGAINST INUNDATIONS Enrico Marchi, Giorgio Roth, and Franco Siccardi Istituto di Idraulica Universita di Genova Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genova ITALY Abstract. The Po River drains the largest morphological unit of the Italian territory. River training works started in the lower Po during the Roman Age and progressed upstream, first as discontinuous systems, then eventually connected to form two uninterrupted belts, which have reduced not only the overflow frequency, but also the storage capacity of the river floodplain. The result has been an increasing value of the flood peak quantile in the lower Po, which is the reach with the highest flooding risk. On the other side, the upstream catchment, where partial embankments have been built, recently experienced a flooding event, and requires some form of protection. A risk mitigation policy should take into account all the components of the river system and their connections. With this perspective, the development of traditional structural protection along the Po River has reached a critical stage; a further expansion of the existing levee system would increase the down-stream risk. With regard to non-structural protection, the river morphology and the past experience suggest that, based on rainfall and discharge monitoring, early warnings of flood hazards in vulnerable communities may be feasible. Finally, to reduce the flooding risk in the lower Po, a reduction of the flood discharge entering this reach is necessary.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Names Origins. Water Roots and Place‑Names in the Prehistoric Ligurian Context
    This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Ancient names origins. Water roots and place‑names in the prehistoric ligurian context Perono Cacciafoco, Francesco 2013 Perono Cacciafoco, F. (2013). Ancient names origins. Water roots and place‑names in the prehistoric ligurian context. Review of historical geography and toponomastics, VIII(15‑16), 7‑24. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/107456 © 2013 West University of Timisoara, Department of Geography. This paper was published in Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics and is made available as an electronic reprint (preprint) with permission of West University of Timisoara, Department of Geography. The paper can be found at the following official URL: [http://linguistlist.org/pubs/papers/browse‑papers‑action.cfm?PaperID=43127]. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law. Downloaded on 01 Oct 2021 11:41:42 SGT Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, vol. VIII no. 15-16, 2013, pp. 7-24 ANCIENT NAMES ORIGINS. WATER ROOTS AND PLACE-NAMES IN THE PREHISTORIC LIGURIAN CONTEXT Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO Doctor of Philosophy in Greek and Latin Philology and Literature (Ph.D.) Università degli Studî di Pisa, Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Dipartimento di Filologia, Letteratura e Linguistica - Filologia classica, Pisa, Italy, Adjunct Professor in Comparative Literature, University of Pollenzo - UNISG, Pollenzo, Italy, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Ancient Names Origins.
    [Show full text]