Two PhD positions at the University of Trento

Two PhD positions at the University of Trento – Deadline for applications: 28 May 2024 12:00 UTC+2

1. One PhD position on *”Numerical modelling of atmospheric transport
processes of particulate matter along mountain slopes”* is now open under
the Doctoral Programme in Agrifood and Environmental Sciences at the
Center Agriculture Food Environment (C3A), University of Trento (Italy).
Deadline for applications: 28 May 2024 12:00 (UTC+2).
Online submission form and further information:
https://www.unitn.it/en/ateneo/80909/announcement-of-selection

Outline of the project
Particulate matter, composed either of biogenic or abiogenic substances,
play a crucial role in the environment, affecting air quality, atmospheric
radiation budgets, propagation of
species, ecosystems’ dynamics, human health, and nucleation processes in
clouds, and hence precipitation.
Understanding transport of such substances over mountainous terrain is more
complicated than over flat areas due to the complexity and variety of the
wind structures found over mountains. In particular, thermally driven slope
winds, promoted by daytime heating and nighttime cooling of slopes, offer
preferred flow patterns, which may variously combine with convection in the
upper atmosphere. Also, turbulence associated with these flows plays
a crucial role in the uptake, diffusion and deposition of these substances.
The candidate will develop and apply new concepts, derived from recent
advances in our understanding of the above winds, to existing mathematical
and numerical models, in order
to improve their capability of reproducing the above transport processes in
a variety of situations. Both Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches will be
tested. The latter will include
both forward- and back-trajectories. Comparison with data from field
measurements will allow suitable validation of the models.
The candidate will have the opportunity to cooperate within the
project *”DECIPHER
– Disentangling mechanisms controlling atmospheric transport and mixing
processes over mountain areas at different space- and timescales”* under
the international cooperation programme *”TEAMx – Multi-scale transport and
exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountains – programme and
experiment”* (http://www.teamx-programme.org/) and to participate in
the field campaigns foreseen as part of the project.
Cooperation will be also pursued with the Environmental Agency of the
Autonomous Province of Trento, the Botany Unit of the Civic Museum in
Rovereto, and the Environmental Botany Unit of the Edmund Mach Foundation.

2. One PhD position on *”Characterisation of atmospheric transport and
ground deposition processes of volcanic emissions by means of WRF-Chem
model simulations and assimilation of data from observations for the
development of forecasting systems”* is now open under the Doctoral
Programme in Agrifood and Environmental Sciences at the
Center Agriculture Food Environment (C3A), University of Trento (Italy).
The position is funded by the National Institute of Geophysics and
Volcanology (INGV) and will be performed in cooperation with the
INGV Etnean Observatory of Catania (Italy).
Deadline for applications: 28 May 2024 12:00 (UTC+2).
Online submission form and further information:
https://www.unitn.it/en/ateneo/80909/announcement-of-selection

Outline of the project
The simulation and prediction of air quality in general, and volcanic
plumes in particular, is a complex problem involving both meteorological
factors and chemical processes. In the
real atmosphere, physical and chemical processes are coupled. Chemistry can
influence meteorological processes (e.g. interactions between aerosols and
condensation nuclei) in
clouds, and precipitation can greatly influence chemical transformations
and removal processes, just as changes in wind and turbulence can influence
transport. The simulation
and prediction of these phenomena requires numerical models capable of
solving the complex equations that govern these processes. Among the models
capable of predicting
the dispersion and transport of volcanic ash, WRF-Chem is undoubtedly the
most flexible and the only one capable of coupling chemical-physical
processes with the complex
dynamics of the atmosphere, In order to minimise the aeronautical risks due
to the presence of ash in the atmosphere, a forecasting system based on the
WRF-Chem model has been designed, developed and installed at the
INGV Etnean Observatory of Catania, for the prediction of
atmospheric transport and ground deposition of volcanic ash.
The proposed project proposal consists in the study and implementation of
the WRF meteorological model and its WRF-Chem extension, for the part
concerning volcanic emissions, through the analysis of the interactions
occurring between the atmospheric meteorological fields and the eruptive
column, and the development of data assimilation techniques from Etna’s
instrumental monitoring network, in particular from Doppler radar and lidar
ceilometers. The quality of the forecast produced by the model must
subsequently be verified by means of statistical techniques and comparison
with data recorded during the volcano’s numerous recent explosive
eruptions.