Publications by Year: 2016

2016
Nastos, P.T., Kapsomenakis, J. & Philandras, K.M. Evaluation of the TRMM 3B43 gridded precipitation estimates over Greece. Atmospheric Research 169, 497-514 (2016). Website
Matsangouras, I.T., Nastos, P.T. & Kapsomenakis, J. Cloud-to-ground lightning activity over Greece: Spatio-temporal analysis and impacts. Atmospheric Research 169, 485-496 (2016). Website
Matsangouras, I.T., Nastos, P.T. & Pytharoulis, I. Study of the tornado event in Greece on March 25, 2009: Synoptic analysis and numerical modeling using modified topography. Atmospheric Research 169, 566-583 (2016). Website
Moustris, K.P., et al. Health impacts due to particulate air pollution in Volos City, Greece. Journal of Environmental Science and Health - Part A Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering 51, 15-20 (2016). Website
Dalezios, N.R. & Nastos, P.T. Milestones of the diachronic evolution of meteorology. International Journal of Global Environmental Issues 15, 49-69 (2016). Website
Christaki, M., Stournaras, G., Nastos, P. & Mamasis, N. The majestic Hadrianic aqueduct of the city of Athens. Global Nest Journal 18, 559-568 (2016). Website
Papamarinopoulos, S., Preka-Papadema, P., Gazeas, K., Nastos, P. & Kiriakopoulos, K.G. Extreme physical phenomena during the Trojan war. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 16, 135-155 (2016). Website
Nastos, P.T. & Polychroni, I.D. Modeling and in situ measurements of biometeorological conditions in microenvironments within the Athens University Campus, Greece. International Journal of Biometeorology 60, 1463-1479 (2016). Website
Nastos, P.T. & Dalezios, N.R. Preface: Advances in meteorological hazards and extreme events. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 16, 1259-1268 (2016). Website
Politi, N., et al. Comparison and Validation of WRF Model Physics Parameterizations Over the Domain of Greece. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 55-61 (2016).Abstract
{In the present study, the dynamical downscaling technique was applied in the Advanced Weather Research and Forecasting numerical model WRF-ARW, to investigate and validate the performance of different physics parameterizations. The WRF model, was forced by ERA-INTERIM reanalysis data, for a short period of one year (January 2002-December 2002), over the area of the MED-CORDEX domain of 20 km horizontal resolution, downscaled to the domain of Greece with grid spacing of 5 km. Simulations with the Yonsei University (YSU) and Mellor-Yamada- Janjic (MYJ) schemes for boundary layer parameterizations were chosen, along with the corresponding surface layer schemes, as well as, cumulus physics schemes of Kain-Fitsch and Grell-Devenyi. The results of the model simulations have been compared with all available station measurements from the European Climate Assessment and Dataset (ECA&D) for the daily precipitation and 2-m air temperature, through the computation of statistical metrics. The study led to a more reliable choice of physics configurations schemes for the WRF model, in order to simulate future climate model experiments to assess the impact of climate change over the domain of interest.}
Mylonas, M.P., Nastos, P.T. & Matsangouras, I.T. Numerical Modeling of a Tornado Event at Skala, Lakonia, Peloponnese in September 2015. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 81-86 (2016).Abstract
{Towards the evaluation of the thermodynamic characteristics of a high impact tornadic event in Skala Lakonia, southern Peloponnese, in September 21, 2015, Weather Research and Forecasting (AR-WRF) mesoscale model was used. For the particular model setup used in this study, different configurations were pre-tested based on different spatial resolution and parameterization schemes. The current study downscales ECMWF reanalysis initial and boundary conditions to 300 m spatial resolution to assess the convective available potential energy (CAPE), the reflectivity perceived by radar (dBZ) and the energy helicity index (EHI). The validation was conducted using in situ and remote sensing observations of the surrounding area. The results illustrate deep convective activity with CAPE values indicating a strong instability in the region of interest. Furthermore, the model seems to capture well the southwesterly-northeasterly front propagation of the convective initiation of the storm, as well as the troughs that affected the south part of Peloponnese, assessing the pre-frontal nature of the particular tornadic event. Finally, the EHI values demonstrate the tornadic activity in the region of Skala Lakonia, as the model appears to simulate accurately the low pressure system along the east coast of the Lakonia Gulf.}
Pytharoulis, I., et al. Numerical Study of the Medicane of November 2014. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 115-121 (2016).Abstract
{A hurricane-like cyclone with an `eye', eyewall convection and strong winds affected central Mediterranean basin on 7-8 November 2014. The maximum observed sustained wind speed was 22 m/s (tropical storm strength) at Lampedusa. Significant damages were reported from this island and the coastal regions of eastern Sicily. Thus, it is essential to study medicanes and calibrate the numerical weather prediction models in order to simulate them adequately. Operational ECMWF analyses are used together with the non-hydrostatic Weather Research and Forecasting numerical model with the Advanced Research dynamic solver (WRF-ARW ver 3.7.1). The aims of this study are to simulate the system and investigate the sensitivity of the model on the microphysical scheme, the number of vertical levels and the global input dataset. The main characteristics of the medicane are represented in good agreement with observations and analyses, but, no single setup is able to provide the best reproduction of all its features.}
Matsangouras, I.T., et al. Numerical Modeling Analysis of Tornadoes Using the COSMO.GR Model Over Greece. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 123-128 (2016).Abstract
{The COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling (COSMO) was formed in October 1998, and its general goal is to develop, improve and maintain a non-hydrostatic limited-area atmospheric model, while the Hellenic National Meteorological Service joined the consortium in 1999. The COSMO model has been designed both for operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) as well as various scientific applications on the meso-beta and meso-c scale. Two tornado case studies were selected to investigate the ability of COSMO model to depict the characteristics of severe convective weather, which favored the development of the associated storms. The first tornado occurred, close to Ag. Ilias village, 8 km northwestern from Aitoliko city over western Greece on February 7, 2013, while the second tornado developed close to Palio Katramio village, 8 km southern from Xanthi city over northern Greece on November 25, 2015. Although both tornadoes had a short lifetime, they caused significant impacts. The COSMO. GR atmospheric model was initialized with analysis boundary conditions obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The resulting numerical products with spatial resolution of 0.020 degrees (similar to 2 km) over the geographical domain of Greece depicted very well the severe convective conditions close to tornadoes formation.}
Nastos, P.T., Moustris, K.P., Charalampopoulos, I., Larissi, I.K. & Paliatsos, A.G. Assessment of the Thermal Comfort Conditions in a University Campus Using a 3D Microscale Climate Model, Utilizing Mobile Measurements. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 309-315 (2016).Abstract
The objective of the study is to assess the human thermal comfort at a University Campus in the metropolitan area of Athens. The equipment setup consists of all the necessary sensors for human thermal comfort estimation along with a high resolution GPS, mounted on a cargo bicycle. The experiment was carried out for midday and night on July 29, 2015. Besides, long term 5 min measurements from a meteorological station, established on the roof of a building within the University Campus, were also used to quantify the mean thermal environment. The densely carried out bicycle measurements every 5 s was the input data utilized by the ENVI-met model; a three-dimensional microclimate model designed to simulate the surface-plant-air interactions in urban environment. The in situ measurements along with the model's output results reveal the thermal comfort regime of the selected area and the ability of the model to estimate accurately the micrometeorological conditions.
Maniatis, S., Kamoutsis, A., Chronopoulou-Sereli, A. & Nastos, P.T. Air Temperature Estimation Over the Ainos Mountain, Kefallinia Island Using Linear Regression Analysis. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 349-354 (2016).Abstract
Mountain Ainos is the highest mountain of the Ionian Islands with a maximum elevation of 1628 m. Its National Park is characterized by rich flora including endemic species such as Greek fir. In order to exploit fully its touristic potential, it is necessary to examine the mountain climate. However in situ measurements of climatic parameters in mountain areas pose difficulties as far as to access areas of interest. The current study addresses one specific object: Estimating the air temperature at different altitudes of the southeastern side of Mt. Ainos, having air temperature data at the exact same altitudes of the northwestern side which is more easily accessible. We performed linear regression analysis to estimate the mean, maximum and minimum daily air temperature of the southeastern sites from data measured at the northwestern one. The results are considered satisfactory in air temperature estimation at all examined altitudes. More accurate estimations were provided in the case of the mean air temperature at the altitude of 1580 m. Also, linear models indicated noticeable estimations of the minimum temperatures at 1300 and 1580 m.
Feloni, E., Nastos, P.T. & Matsangouras, I.T. Seasonal Synoptic Characteristics of Heavy Rain Events in the Attica Region. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 391-396 (2016).Abstract
{The objective of this study is the analysis of heavy precipitation events occurred in Attica region during the period 2007-2013, along with the determination of their characteristics depending on the season and their corresponding impact. These events were selected according to two criteria; the lightning occurrence-information that was acquired from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service Precision Lightning Sensors Network (HNMS-PLN)-and the high rainfall intensity, provided by the Hydrological Observatory of Athens (HOA) rainfall network. On the one hand, the composite means and anomalies of the respective synoptic conditions, which were based on the reanalysis data sets acquired from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR), along with the frontal activity over Greece, have been analyzed. On the other hand, special attention has been given to the configuration of specific instability indices, during the examined rainfall events. The aforementioned study is an effort to shed light to the rainfall events' features, with respect to their seasonal incidence and their relation to phenomena such as floods and hail.}
Philandras, C.M., Kapsomenakis, J., Nastos, P.T., Repapis, C. & Zerefos, C.S. Climatology of Upper Air Temperature Over the Mediterranean. Trends and Variability. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 565-576 (2016).Abstract
{This study shed light on the long term air temperature changes in the troposphere over the Mediterranean. For this purpose, we utilized the radiosonde datasets for the barometric levels at 850, 700, 500, 300, 200, 150, and 100 hPa from seventeen meteorological stations within the Mediterranean, for the period 1965-2015. Besides, the gridded reanalysis products of upper air temperature for the respective barometric pressure levels from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF, ERA-Interim) and the National Center for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEPNCAR) were used and compared to stations' datasets. We analyzed the trends and variability of upper air temperature on seasonal and annual basis. The impact of atmospheric circulation, by means of specific climatic indices such as Mediterranean Oscillation Index (MOI), North Sea Caspian Pattern Index (NCPI) and North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), was also examined. The results of our analysis indicate the anthropogenic forcing to climate variability, especially in lower/middle troposphere against upper troposphere over the Mediterranean.}
Proias, G., Nastos, P.T., Moustris, K.P. & Paliatsos, A.G. Weekend-Weekday Effect Assessment of PM10 in Volos, Greece (2010-2014). PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 957-962 (2016).Abstract
{Several epidemiological studies have shown an association between particulate air pollution and adverse health effects. The consensus among the scientific community is that suspended particulate matter is one of the most harmful pollutants, particularly the inhalable particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 mu m (PM10) causing respiratory health effects and heart diseases. The effects of aerosols on human health are determined by both their size and their chemical composition. Average daily concentrations exceeding the EU daily threshold concentration appear, among other cases, during Sahara dust episodes, a natural phenomenon that degrades the air quality in the urban area of Volos. The city of Volos is a coastal city of medium size in the eastern seaboard of Central Greece. The main objective of this work is the study of the temporal evolution and the assessment of weekend effect in particulate matter concentration levels in the centre of the city of Volos. PM10 data obtained by a fully automated station that was established by the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy, for a 5-year period (2010-2014) are analyzed in order to study the day-of-week variations during the cold and warm period of the year. As these variations are mostly expected to be due to the human working cycle, a strong weekly cycle would be indicative of the dominance of anthropogenic particles.}
Ntourou, K., Moustris, K.P., Giannouli, M., Nastos, P.T. & Paliatsos, A.G. Estimation of Hospital Admissions Respiratory Disease Attributed to PM10 Exposure Using the AirQ Model Within the Greater Athens Area. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 1105-1110 (2016).Abstract
{The main objective of this work is the assessment of the annual number of hospital admissions for respiratory disease (HARD) due to the exposure to inhalable particulate matter (PM10), within the greater Athens area (GAA), Greece. Towards this aim, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 mu m (PM10) recorded in six monitoring stations located in the GAA, for a 13-year period 2001-2013, is used. In this study AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO, was used to evaluate adverse health effects by PM10 in the GAA during the examined period. The results show that, the mean annual HARD cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranged between 20 (suburban location) and 40 (city centre location). Approximately 70 % of the annual HARD cases are due to city centre residents. In all examined locations, a declining trend in the annual number of HARD cases is appeared. Moreover, a strong relation between the annual number of HARD cases and the annual number of days exceeding the European Union daily PM10 threshold value was found.}
Bleta, A., Nastos, P.T., Kaminski, U. & Dietze, V. Impacts of Coarse Atmospheric Particulate Matter Between 2.5 and 80 mu m on Respiratory Admissions in Heraklion, Crete Island, Greece. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 1117-1122 (2016).Abstract
{The goal of this study is to quantify the impact of airborne coarse particles between 2.5 and 80 mu m (PM2.5-PM80) on hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, acquired from the two main hospitals in Heraklion, Crete Island. The atmospheric coarse particles were collected in Heraklion city from November 18, 2011 to May 31, 2013, using the Sigma-2 passive sampler technique. Further, the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), was utilized to identify the qualitative structure of PMs. On one hand, we applied Generalized Addictive Models (GAMS) in order to assess the impact of coarse particles on respiratory diseases. The findings of the analysis revealed that the highest estimates were 7.3 % (Cl: 1.00-1.01) and 7.1 % (Cl: 1.00-1.01) increases in weekly respiratory admissions associated with an increase of 10 mu g m(-3) with respect to coarse particles between 10 and 20 mu m, for men and women, respectively. On the other hand, using SEM technique, the PMs were identified by means of their chemical composition. It is worth noting the presence of Rutile (a mineral composed primarily by Titanium Dioxide), which was found in our samples with possible origin from Saharan desert, causing adverse respiratory problems.}