Aims

Structure

Members

Activities reports

Coordinator: Maria João Costa

The group is heavily involved in contributing to the deeper scientific knowledge of the Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate by combining fundamental scientific tools such as theory, new observational technologies and modeling of various physical processes. The group is also deeply committed to the training of undergraduate and graduate students and to engaging these students in research experiences, being intensely involved in undergraduate, Master and PhD programs on Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. Furthermore the group also dedicates to outreach actions for the general society, aiming at motivating young potential future students.

The complex scientific problems involved in the themes tackled by this group, are related to Atmospheric Sciences, Environment and Climate and their implications in the future of the planet and health issues. Specifically, the main objectives deal with:

• Clouds, precipitation aerosols and gases
• Air quality
• Atmospheric electricity
• Limnology and lake-atmosphere interactions
• Evaluation of solar resources in support of renewable energy exploitation
• Numerical Weather Prediction and Climate models
• Surface fluxes and the Atmospheric Boundary Layer
• Palynology and Health

Special emphasis is given to the strong experimental component, fostering the synergistic integration of several types of measurements, data processing techniques and data analysis (in situ, active and passive remote sensing and laboratory analyses) from several platforms (ground-based both in land and water, aircraft and satellite). These measuring activities are complemented by the skills acquired in the past fifteen years to develop optoelectronic instrumentation, devoted to atmospheric studies, including the mechanical, optical and electronic designs, the development management, the data processing and the set-up and experimental phases.

The experimental component of the ICT activities, which is unique in Portugal, is central to combine with atmospheric modelling, with the final goal of contributing to weather and climate studies and to the improvement of the currently used atmospheric, lake and biodiversity models and their parameterizations. On the other hand, pollen allergies, crop forecasting and analysis of sediments and soils by means of bio aerosols (pollens) are also pursued by the group.

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