What do we know about atmospheric boundary layer?

25/02/2022

Tell it with a video:  How cozy graphics can explain complex science with success

On Wednesday 16 February 2022, the video “Atmospheric boundary layer: the layer where we live” received a prize in a contest organised by the Italian Meteorological Association (AISAM) as part of their fourth National Congress, held in Milan, Italy. The congress offers the opportunity for the Italian scientific community dealing with atmospheric sciences, meteorology, and climatology to promote reflections on these issues.

In this context, the COST Action Profiling the atmospheric Boundary layer at European scale (PROBE) submitted their video as part of the communication competition that focused on how to convey key complex topic to non-expert audience.

The innovative graphics in the video explains in an intuitive way what happens in the atmospheric layer closest to the Earth surface, where we all live.

Figure 1: frame from the video, where clouds are sitting on the atmospheric boundary layer like on a chair. The graphics helps to visualize the topic of the video.

“This layer is crucial for our lives even if it is invisible by eye. It impacts the amount of energy we produce with renewable sources and holds the pollution we emit. By better monitoring this layer, we will be able to predict better the evolution of storms, reducing the harm for people.” says Dr Claudia ACQUISTAPACE, the COST Action Science Communication Manager.

The PROBE COST Action promotes recent advances in profiling the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) using ground-based remote sensing and instrument networks.

The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is the layer closest to the Earth’s surface within which most human activities take place. The vertical profile of atmospheric thermodynamic parameters in the ABL impacts weather, air quality, and climate. Surface sensor networks and satellite observations do not provide sufficient information on the high temporal variability and strong vertical gradients experienced in the ABL. This interdisciplinary network aims to fill this gap, bridging user needs and the expertise residing in industry and academia.

Launched in 2019, the PROBE COST Action is a network of scientists from 38 European countries working to measure wind, temperature, and cloud profiles, using remote sensing instruments from the ground, that is without placing sensors at each altitude. The continuous monitoring they do is fundamental to increase the accuracy of weather and air quality forecasts and safeguard our health and that of our children.

Caption: In the image, a Micro rain radar (MRR) and a cloud radar (CR) are installed on the research vessel Maria S. Merian, and the technician is performing the CR calibration using liquid nitrogen. During the EUREC4A campaign, the radars measured cloud variability in the tropics to better understand which factors control cloudiness over oceans. Most of the uncertainty in climate models comes from tropical clouds and these observations will be used to improve future climate predictions (photo by Claudia Acquistapace).

“We are very pleased by this award. COST Action PROBE keeps science communication in high regard. Our science communication manager, Claudia Acquistapace, is investing lots of efforts and I believe she deserved such a recognition “, says Dr Domenico CIMINI, the COST Action Vice-Chair.

Additional Information

View the network website

View the Action website

the Italian Meteorological Association (AISAM)

Further reading

Air Quality in the Italian Northwestern Alps during Year 2020: Assessment of the COVID-19 «Lockdown Effect» from Multi-Technique Observations and Models

Branching out

The Action is organising a Training school from 28 March to 1st  April 2022: Joint FESSTVaL/PROBE Training school on Network-Applicable Thermodynamic Profiling