Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-05-29

Anthropogenic Aerosols Triggering and Invigorating Severe Storms

Objective

Recent studies of cloud interactions with particulate air pollution, performed mostly on a conceptual level, show that pollution aerosols can invigorate convection into severe storms. The convective storms are defined as severe when they produce at least one of the following phenomena: strong local winds, downbursts, frequent lightning, large hail and tornados. The pollution aerosols can slow the conversion of cloud drops into precipitation, allowing the convective energy to accumulate and eventually tri gger violent storms. The new METEOSAT Second Generation (MSG) geostationary satellite, commissioned in January 2004 by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), can significantly help identifying in real tim e the impacts of pollution aerosols on cloud structure, and thus potentially provide advanced warning of such events. We propose to use the satellite and ground based observations in conjunction with computer models to distinguish the meteorological and pollution aerosols effects on triggering and invigorating severe convective storms, and hence causing man-made "natural disasters". Such events and their mitigation are not covered by FP6. In addition to fundamental understanding of the anthropogenic role in influencing severe storms, the project will provide the scientific basis to improve the skill of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models to predict such storms. The ultimate challenge may be to develop a method by which severe storm development can b e mitigated, for example by reducing aerosol pollution, or even reverse the effect of the small pollution aerosols by introducing large hygroscopic aerosols that accelerate the early onset of rain. The scientific basis of such a possibility will be evalua ted.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP6-2003-NEST-B-1
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Coordinator

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
EU contribution
No data
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (3)

My booklet 0 0