Skip to main content
European Commission logo
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary

Secondary organic Aerosols Production in pre and post-Industrial-like ENvironments : The Impact of biogenic and Anthropogenic emissions on cliMate

Project description

Simulating the pre-industrial atmosphere

The Paris Agreement has set out a global framework to limit the possibility of dangerous climate change. To this end, it is committed to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The EU-funded SAPIENTIAM project will identify new mechanisms that will help describe the pre-industrial atmospheric status and its change as a consequence of emissions caused by human activities related to industrialisation. Specifically, it will carry out a laboratory experiment to simulate a pre-industrial-like environment’s atmosphere, adding to it the biogenic emissions, followed by anthropogenic emissions such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Objective

Anthropogenic emissions (i.e. particles and trace gases) are constantly rising since the industrialization inducing wide changes on the climate of the Earth system, on local degradation of air quality and impactAnthropogenic emissions (i.e. particles and trace gases) are constantly rising since the industrialization inducing wide changes on the climate of the Earth system, on local degradation of air quality and impacting human health. The aim of the SAPIENTIAM project is to identify new mechanisms that allow to describe the preindustrial atmospheric status and its change as consequence of the human activities emission related to industrialization.
Secondary organic particles are produced in the atmosphere by the reactions of biogenic volatile organic compounds in presence of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfate (SO2). One of the main uncertainties of the role of particles on the changes of climate and air quality, is related to the impact of anthropogenic emissions on their concentrations and properties.
In order to define new mechanisms of atmospheric particle formation in pre-industrial and post-industrial conditions, a laboratory experiment will be carried out at the Harvard Environmental Chamber (outgoing phase). In detail, the pristine pre-industrial-like environment’s atmosphere will be simulated in the chamber considering first only the biogenic emissions and, then, adding the contribution of anthropogenic emissions such as NOx and SO2. Recent studies highlighted the important role played by the ocean as potential source of atmospheric particle, but field observations to confirm this hypothesis are quite rare. Another aim of this project is to verify the results obtained by the laboratory experiments in a field campaign in marine environment representing an innovative post-industrial-like site, where the interaction between biogenic and anthropogenic emissions are poorly explored (return phase at the University of Chieti-Pescara, Ud'A)

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI GABRIELE D'ANNUNZIO DI CHIETI-PESCARA
Net EU contribution
€ 168 369,60
Address
Via dei Vestini 31
66013 Chieti
Italy

See on map

Region
Sud Abruzzo Chieti
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 168 369,60

Partners (1)