Publications

2024
Bessagnet B, Bossioli E, Cholakian A, Vivanco MG, Cuvelier K, Theobald MR, Gil V, Menut L, de Meij A, Pisoni E, et al. Impact of air quality model settings for the evaluation of emission reduction strategies to curb air pollution. [Internet]. 2024;255:119112. WebsiteAbstract
For air quality management, while numerical tools are mainly evaluated to assess their performances on absolute concentrations, this study assesses the impact of their settings on the robustness of model responses to emission reduction strategies for the main criteria pollutants. The effect of the spatial resolution and chemistry schemes is investigated. We show that whereas the spatial resolution is not a crucial setting (except for NO2), the chemistry scheme has more impact, particularly when assessing hourly values of the absolute potential of concentrations. The analysis of model responses under the various configurations triggered an analysis of the impact of using online models, like WRF-chem or WRF-CHIMERE, which accounts for the impact of aerosol concentrations on meteorology. This study informs the air quality modeling community on what extent some model settings can affect the expected model responses to emission changes. We suggest to not activate online effects when analyzing the effect of an emission reduction strategy to avoid any confusion in the interpretation of results even if an online simulation should represent better the reality.
2023
Bessagnet, B., Cuvelier K, De Meij A, Monteiro A, Pisoni E, Thunis P, Violaris A, Kushta J, Denby BR, Mu Q, et al. Assessment of the sensitivity of model responses to urban emission changes in support of emission reduction strategies. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health [Internet]. 2023. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The sensitivity of air quality model responses to modifications in input data (e.g. emissions, meteorology and boundary conditions)or model configurations is recognized as an important issue for air quality modelling applications in support of air qualityplans. In the framework of FAIRMODE (Forum of Air Quality Modelling in Europe, https:// fairm ode. jrc. ec. europa. eu/) adedicated air quality modelling exercise has been designed to address this issue. The main goal was to evaluate the magnitudeand variability of air quality model responses when studying emission scenarios/projections by assessing the changes of modeloutput in response to emission changes. This work is based on several air quality models that are used to support model usersand developers, and, consequently, policy makers. We present the FAIRMODE exercise and the participating models, andprovide an analysis of the variability of O3and PM concentrations due to emission reduction scenarios. The key novel feature,in comparison with other exercises, is that emission reduction strategies in the present work are applied and evaluated at urbanscale over a large number of cities using new indicators such as the absolute potential, the relative potential and the absolutepotency. The results show that there is a larger variability of concentration changes between models, when the emission reductionscenarios are applied, than for their respective baseline absolute concentrations. For ozone, the variability between modelsof absolute baseline concentrations is below 10%, while the variability of concentration changes (when emissions are similarlyperturbed) exceeds, in some instances 100% or higher during episodes. Combined emission reductions are usually more efficientthan the sum of single precursor emission reductions both for O3and PM. In particular for ozone, model responses, in terms oflinearity and additivity, show a clear impact of non-linear chemistry processes. This analysis gives an insight into the impact ofmodel’ sensitivity to emission reductions that may be considered when designing air quality plans and paves the way of morein-depth analysis to disentangle the role of emissions from model formulation for present and future air quality assessments.
Methymaki G, Bossioli E, Boucouvala D, Nenes A, Tombrou M. Brown carbon absorption in the Mediterranean basin from local and long-range transported biomass burning air masses. [Internet]. 2023;306:119822. WebsiteAbstract
This study examines the impact of light absorption from biomass burning (BB) brown carbon (BrC) in the Mediterranean basin from local and distant fire incidents during a typical fire season in August 2019 and under severe fire activity in August 2021. The approaches of Saleh et al. (2014) and Wang et al. (2018) are used to describe the BrC absorption within the WRF-Chem model. Focusing on three regions in the Mediterranean (around the islands of Sicily, Malta, and Crete) that are most affected by BB activity, BrC absorption approximates 5 Mm−1 in OC concentrations up to 3 μg m−3 and can approach 15 Mm−1 in extreme conditions (up to 10 μg m−3). When photochemical bleaching is considered, BrC undergoes almost immediate bleaching upon emission due to high levels of OH radical in the Mediterranean atmosphere during summertime, decreasing light absorption between 56% and 75% under both average and extreme BB conditions. Cloud formation is facilitated above the PBL due to moisture increase induced by BrC at the area of fire events, while transported drier and warmer air masses tend to dissipate cloud formation further away from the BB source. The impact of BrC absorption on irradiances is small (up to −6 W m−2 in extreme conditions) and is often overlapped by the absorption from water vapour variations. BrC direct radiative effect (DRE) is estimated at 0.04 W m−2 (∼10% of BC) in average and 0.18 W m−2 in extreme BB activity under clear sky. Under all sky, low-level clouds dissipation in 2019 with average BB emissions enhances DRE (at 0.15 W m−2), while the higher clouds dissipation in 2021 limits DRE (at 0.11 W m−2) resulting in lower DRE despite the extreme BB conditions.
2022
Karalis M, Sotiropoulou G, Abel SJ, Bossioli E, Georgakaki P, Methymaki G, Nenes A, Tombrou M. Effects of secondary ice processes on a stratocumulus to cumulus transition during a cold-air outbreak. [Internet]. 2022;277:106302. WebsiteAbstract
The representation of boundary layer clouds during marine Cold-Air Outbreaks (CAO) remains a great challenge for weather prediction models. Recent studies have shown that the representation of the transition from closed stratocumulus clouds to convective cumulus open cells largely depends on microphysical and precipitation processes, which secondary ice production (SIP) may strongly modulate. In this study we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model to investigate the impact of the most well-known SIP mechanisms (Hallett-Mossop, mechanical break-up upon collisions between ice particles and drop-shattering) on a CAO case observed north of the United Kingdom in 2013. While Hallett-Mossop is the only SIP process extensively implemented in atmospheric models, our results indicate that the other two SIP mechanisms are also favored in the examined conditions. Activation of drop-shattering and especially collisional break-up can result in enhanced riming, ice depositional growth and/or ice aggregation. The first two processes quicken liquid depletion in the stratocumulus cloud, while along with aggregation, they enhance precipitation. The increased precipitation results in enhanced evaporation/sublimation in the sub-cloud layer, promoting boundary-layer decoupling, which further accelerates the onset of the stratocumulus break-up. However, the strong sensitivity to the expression of terminal velocity of the precipitating particles and the rimed fraction of cloud ice/snow suggests that the robust implementation of SIP to improve CAO predictions requires data from a large number of CAO events.
2021
Bossioli E, Sotiropoulou G, Methymaki G, Tombrou M. Modeling Extreme Warm-Air Advection in the Arctic During Summer: The Effect of Mid-Latitude Pollution Inflow on Cloud Properties. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres [Internet]. 2021;126(7). Website
2020
Methymaki G, Bossioli E, Kalogiros J, Kouvarakis G, Mihalopoulos N, Nenes A, Tombrou M. Aerosol absorption over the Aegean Sea under northern summer winds. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2020;231. Website
2019
Sotiropoulou G, Bossioli E, Tombrou M. Modeling Extreme Warm-Air Advection in the Arctic: The Role of Microphysical Treatment of Cloud Droplet Concentration. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres [Internet]. 2019;124(6):3492 - 3519. Website
2018
Dimitropoulou E, Assimakopoulos VD, Fameli KM, Flocas HA, Kosmopoulos P, Kazadzis S, Lagouvardos K, Bossioli E. Estimating the biogenic non-methane hydrocarbon emissions over Greece. Atmosphere [Internet]. 2018;9(1). Website
Methymaki G, Bossioli E, Dandou A, Kalogiros J, Biskos G, Mihalopoulos N, Nenes A, Tombrou M. Solar irradiance prediction over the aegean sea: Shortwave parameterization schemes and aerosol radiation feedback. Springer Proceedings in Complexity [Internet]. 2018:141 - 145. Website
Dimitropoulou E, Assimakopoulos VD, Fameli KM, Flocas HA, Kosmopoulos P, Kazadzis S, Lagouvardos K, Bossioli E. Estimating the biogenic non-methane hydrocarbon emissions over Greece. Atmosphere [Internet]. 2018;9. Website
2017
Dandou A, Tombrou M, Kalogiros J, Bossioli E, Biskos G, Mihalopoulos N, Coe H. Investigation of Turbulence Parametrization Schemes with Reference to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over the Aegean Sea During Etesian Winds. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2017;164(2):303 - 329. Website
Kalkavouras P, Bossioli E, Bezantakos S, Bougiatioti A, Kalivitis N, Stavroulas I, Kouvarakis G, Protonotariou AP, Dandou A, Biskos G, et al. New particle formation in the southern Aegean Sea during the Etesians: Importance for CCN production and cloud droplet number. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [Internet]. 2017;17(1):175 - 192. Website
Kalkavouras P, Bossioli E, Bezantakos S, Bougiatioti A, Kalivitis N, Stavroulas I, Kouvarakis G, Protonotariou AP, Dandou A, Biskos G, et al. New particle formation in the southern Aegean Sea during the Etesians: Importance for CCN production and cloud droplet number. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [Internet]. 2017;17:175-192. Website
2016
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Kalogiros J, Allan J, Bacak A, Bezantakos S, Biskos G, Coe H, Jones BT, Kouvarakis G, et al. Atmospheric composition in the Eastern Mediterranean: Influence of biomass burning during summertime using the WRF-Chem model. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2016;132:317 - 331. Website
Triantafyllou E, Giamarelou M, Bossioli E, Zarmpas P, Theodosi C, Matsoukas C, Tombrou M, Mihalopoulos N, Biskos G. Particulate pollution transport episodes from Eurasia to a remote region of northeast Mediterranean. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2016;128:45 - 52. Website
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Kalogiros J, Allan J, Bacak A, Bezantakos S, Biskos G, Coe H, Jones BT, Kouvarakis G, et al. Atmospheric composition in the Eastern Mediterranean: Influence of biomass burning during summertime using the WRF-Chem model. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2016;132:317-331. Website
2015
De Meij A, Bossioli E, Penard C, Vinuesa JF, Price I. The effect of SRTM and Corine Land Cover data on calculated gas and PM10 concentrations in WRF-Chem. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2015;101:177 - 193. Website
Tombrou M, Bossioli E, Kalogiros J, Allan JD, Bacak A, Biskos G, Coe H, Dandou A, Kouvarakis G, Mihalopoulos N, et al. Physical and chemical processes of air masses in the Aegean Sea during Etesians: Aegean-GAME airborne campaign. Science of the Total Environment [Internet]. 2015;506-507:201 - 216. Website
Athanasopoulou E, Protonotariou AP, Bossioli E, Dandou A, Tombrou M, Allan JD, Coe H, Mihalopoulos N, Kalogiros J, Bacak A, et al. Aerosol chemistry above an extended archipelago of the eastern Mediterranean basin during strong northern winds. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [Internet]. 2015;15(14):8401 - 8421. Website
De Meij A, Bossioli E, Penard C, Vinuesa JF, Price I. The effect of SRTM and Corine Land Cover data on calculated gas and PM10 concentrations in WRF-Chem. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2015;101:177-193. Website
2013
Bezantakos S, Barmpounis K, Giamarelou M, Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Mihalopoulos N, Eleftheriadis K, Kalogiros J, Allan JD, Bacak A, et al. Chemical composition and hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles over the Aegean Sea. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [Internet]. 2013;13(22):11595 - 11608. Website
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Helmis C, Kurtenbach R, Wiesen P, Schäfer K, Dandou A, Varotsos KV. Issues related to aircraft take-off plumes in a mesoscale photochemical model. Science of the Total Environment [Internet]. 2013;456-457:69 - 81. Website
2012
Helmis CG, Sgouros G, Tombrou M, Schäfer K, Münkel C, Bossioli E, Dandou A. A Comparative Study and Evaluation of Mixing-Height Estimation Based on Sodar-RASS, Ceilometer Data and Numerical Model Simulations. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2012;145(3):507 - 526. Website
Klein T, Kukkonen J, Dahl A, Bossioli E, Baklanov A, Vik AF, Agnew P, Karatzas KD, Sofiev M. Interactions of physical, chemical, and biological weather calling for an integrated approach to assessment, forecasting, and communication of air quality. Ambio [Internet]. 2012;41(8):851 - 864. Website
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Karali A, Dandou A, Paronis D, Sofiev M. Ozone production from the interaction of wildfire and biogenic emissions: A case study in Russia during spring 2006. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [Internet]. 2012;12(17):7931 - 7953. Website
Helmis CG, Sgouros G, Tombrou M, Schäfer K, Münkel C, Bossioli E, Dandou A. A Comparative Study and Evaluation of Mixing-Height Estimation Based on Sodar-RASS, Ceilometer Data and Numerical Model Simulations. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2012;145:507-526. Website
Klein T, Kukkonen J, Dahl A, Bossioli E, Baklanov A, Vik AF, Agnew P, Karatzas KD, Sofiev M. Interactions of physical, chemical, and biological weather calling for an integrated approach to assessment, forecasting, and communication of air quality. Ambio [Internet]. 2012;41:851-864. Website
2009
Dandou A, Tombrou M, Schäfer K, Emeis S, Protonotariou AP, Bossioli E, Soulakellis N, Suppan P. A comparison between modelled and measured mixing-layer height over Munich. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2009;131(3):425 - 440. Website
Tombrou M, Bossioli E, Protonotariou AP, Flocas H, Giannakopoulos C, Dandou A. Coupling GEOS-CHEM with a regional air pollution model for Greece. Atmospheric Environment [Internet]. 2009;43(31):4793 - 4804. Website
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Dandou A, Athanasopoulou E, Varotsos KV. The role of planetary boundary-layer parameterizations in the air quality of an urban area with complex topography. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2009;131(1):53 - 72. Website
Dandou A, Tombrou M, Schäfer K, Emeis S, Protonotariou AP, Bossioli E, Soulakellis N, Suppan P. A comparison between modelled and measured mixing-layer height over Munich. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2009;131:425-440. Website
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Dandou A, Athanasopoulou E, Varotsos KV. The role of planetary boundary-layer parameterizations in the air quality of an urban area with complex topography. Boundary-Layer Meteorology [Internet]. 2009;131:53-72. Website
2007
Bossioli E, Tombrou M, Dandou A, Soulakellis N. Simulation of the effects of criticals factors on ozone formation and accumulation in the greater Athens area. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres [Internet]. 2007;112(2). Website
2005
Dandou A, Tombrou M, Akylas E, Soulakellis N, Bossioli E. Development and evaluation of an urban parameterization scheme in the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5). Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres [Internet]. 2005;110(10):1 - 14. Website
Protonotariou A, Bossioli E, Athanasopoulou E, Dandou A, Tombrou M, Flocas HA, Helmis CG, Assimakopoulos VD. Evaluation of CALPUFF modelling system performance: An application over the Greater Athens Area, Greece. International Journal of Environment and Pollution [Internet]. 2005;24(1-4):22 - 35. Website
Athanasopoulou E, Bossioli E, Tombrou M. Modelling of aerosol in the Greater Athens Area, Greece. International Journal of Environment and Pollution [Internet]. 2005;24(1-4):230 - 246. Website
Dandou A, Tombrou M, Akylas E, Soulakellis N, Bossioli E. Development and evaluation of an urban parameterization scheme in the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5). Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres [Internet]. 2005;110:1-14. Website
Protonotariou A, Bossioli E, Athanasopoulou E, Dandou A, Tombrou M, Flocas HA, Helmis CG, Assimakopoulos VD. Evaluation of CALPUFF modelling system performance: An application over the Greater Athens Area, Greece. International Journal of Environment and Pollution [Internet]. 2005;24:22-35. Website
2000
Tombrou M, Bossioli E, Boucouvala D, Vlahou E. Intercomparison of different regulatory and Eulerian dispersion models: An application for the electric power plant in Rhodes island. International Journal of Environment and Pollution [Internet]. 2000;14(1-6):469 - 479. Website
1998
Tombrou M, Bossioli E, Lalas D. An application of a simple Monte Carlo dispersion model in complex terrain. Environmental Modelling and Software [Internet]. 1998;13(1):45 - 58. Website
1995
Tombrou M, Bossioli E, Lalas D. Application of a Monte Carlo dispersion model in complex terrain. In: International Conference on Air Pollution - Proceedings. Vol. 1. ; 1995. pp. 249 - 257. Website