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Although black carbon (BC) is one of the key atmospheric particulate components driving climate change and air quality, there is no agreement on the terminology that considers all aspects of specific properties, definitions, measurement methods, and related uncertainties. As a result, there is much ambiguity in the scientific literature of measurements and numerical models that refer to BC with different names and based on different properties of the particles, with no clear definition of the terms. The authors present here a recommended terminology to clarify the terms used for BC in atmospheric research, with the goal of establishing unambiguous links between terms, targeted material properties and associated measurement techniques.

With the establishment of ceilometer networks by national weather services, a discussion commenced to which extent these simple backscatter lidars can be used for aerosol research. Though primarily designed for the detection of clouds it was shown that at least observations of the vertical structure of the boundary layer might be possible. However, an assessment of the potential of ceilometers for the quantitative retrieval of aerosol properties is still missing. In this paper we discuss different retrieval methods to derive the aerosol backscatter coefficient βp, with special focus on the calibration of the ceilometers. Different options based on forward and backward integration methods are compared with respect to their accuracy and applicability. It is shown that advanced lidar systems such as those being operated in the framework of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) are excellent tools for the calibration, and thus βp retrievals based on forward integration can readily be implemented and used for real-time applications. Furthermore, we discuss uncertainties introduced by incomplete overlap, the unknown lidar ratio, and water vapor absorption. The latter is relevant for the very large number of ceilometers operating in the spectral range around λ = 905–910 nm. The accuracy of the retrieved βp mainly depends on the accuracy of the calibration and the long-term stability of the ceilometer. Under favorable conditions, a relative error of βp on the order of 10% seems feasible. In the case of water vapor absorption, corrections assuming a realistic water vapor distribution and laser spectrum are indispensable; otherwise errors on the order of 20% could occur. From case studies it is shown that ceilometers can be used for the reliable detection of elevated aerosol layers below 5 km, and can contribute to the validation of chemistry transport models, e.g., the height of the boundary layer. However, the exploitation of ceilometer measurements is still in its infancy, so more studies are urgently needed to consolidate the present state of knowledge, which is based on a limited number of case studies.

The migration of a groundwater contaminant plume consisting of light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) along the Ionian coastline of Sicily, Italy, has been reported to follow a trajectory that is inconsistent with the regional hydraulic gradient. The influence of several faults affecting the fractured carbonate bedrock aquifer, and groundwater abstraction from a well, were hypothesized to be responsible for the anomalous trajectory of the contaminant plume. A conceptual hydrogeological model was developed for the study area that incorporated structural information derived from geophysical surveys and the mapping of fractures in bedrock outcrops. This conceptual model was incorporated into numerical groundwater flow and solute transport models to simulate the groundwater transport of the light nonaqueous phase liquids. Four model scenarios representing different levels of complexity were tested to assess the relative influence of geological heterogeneity and groundwater abstraction on the migration of the contaminant plume. Results show that underground major discontinuity systems, invoking the presence of the faults in the model domain accounted for the observed migration of the contaminant plume, act as conduits for groundwater flow. Conversely, groundwater abstraction from a well was found to result in relatively minor, localized impacts to the migration of the contamination plume. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating geological heterogeneity into groundwater modelling and environmental risk assessments associated with the storage of LNAPLs.

A hazard assessment has been performed on rock slopes impending over a segment of the Taorminese Road, which connects two popular tourist destinations in northeastern Sicily: the urban centers of Taormina and Castelmola. The road crosses steep rock slopes with a complex geological and tectonic history. The section of the road close to Castelmola is often affected by rockfall phenomena, causing injury to people and serious damage to buildings and traffic. The study analyzes the geostructural setting of the unstable rock masses, by evaluating their mechanical properties and the kinematics of potential failures. Rockfall simulations confirm that falling rocks would involve the Taorminese Road with different kinetic energy rates and prove useful for suggesting the most suitable mitigation technologies for future remedial works. The modified Rockfall Hazard Rating System has been applied to highlight the different levels of hazard along the road. The compiled hazard map shows that portions of the slopes need urgent remedial works, especially because Taorminese is the only access road to Castelmola and its interruption would lead to the isolation of the village.

We present LIVAS (LIdar climatology of Vertical Aerosol Structure for space-based lidar simulation studies), a 3-D multi-wavelength global aerosol and cloud optical database, optimized to be used for future space-based lidar end-to-end simulations of realistic atmospheric scenarios as well as retrieval algorithm testing activities. The LIVAS database provides averaged profiles of aerosol optical properties for the potential spaceborne laser operating wavelengths of 355, 532, 1064, 1570 and 2050 nm and of cloud optical properties at the wavelength of 532 nm. The global database is based on CALIPSO observations at 532 and 1064 nm and on aerosol-type-dependent backscatter- and extinction-related Ångström exponents, derived from EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network) ground-based measurements for the UV and scattering calculations for the IR wavelengths, using a combination of input data from AERONET, suitable aerosol models and recent literature. The required spectral conversions are calculated for each of the CALIPSO aerosol types and are applied to CALIPSO backscatter and extinction data corresponding to the aerosol type retrieved by the CALIPSO aerosol classification scheme. A cloud optical database based on CALIPSO measurements at 532 nm is also provided, neglecting wavelength conversion due to approximately neutral scattering behavior of clouds along the spectral range of LIVAS. Averages of particle linear depolarization ratio profiles at 532 nm are provided as well. Finally, vertical distributions for a set of selected scenes of specific atmospheric phenomena (e.g., dust outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, wild fires, polar stratospheric clouds) are analyzed and spectrally converted so as to be used as case studies for spaceborne lidar performance assessments. The final global data set includes 4-year (1 January 2008–31 December 2011) time-averaged CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) data on a uniform grid of 1° × 1° with the original high vertical resolution of CALIPSO in order to ensure realistic simulations of the atmospheric variability in lidar end-to-end simulations.

In this paper we describe the EARLINET Single Calculus Chain (SCC), a tool for the automatic analysis of lidar measurements. The development of this tool started in the framework of EARLINET-ASOS (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network – Advanced Sustainable Observation System); it was extended within ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network), and it is continuing within ACTRIS-2. The main idea was to develop a data processing chain that allows all EARLINET stations to retrieve, in a fully automatic way, the aerosol backscatter and extinction profiles starting from the raw lidar data of the lidar systems they operate. The calculus subsystem of the SCC is composed of two modules: a pre-processor module which handles the raw lidar data and corrects them for instrumental effects and an optical processing module for the retrieval of aerosol optical products from the pre-processed data. All input parameters needed to perform the lidar analysis are stored in a database to keep track of all changes which may occur for any EARLINET lidar system over the time. The two calculus modules are coordinated and synchronized by an additional module (daemon) which makes the whole analysis process fully automatic. The end user can interact with the SCC via a user-friendly web interface. All SCC modules are developed using open-source and freely available software packages. The final products retrieved by the SCC fulfill all requirements of the EARLINET quality assurance programs on both instrumental and algorithm levels. Moreover, the manpower needed to provide aerosol optical products is greatly reduced and thus the near-real-time availability of lidar data is improved. The high-quality of the SCC products is proven by the good agreement between the SCC analysis, and the corresponding independent manual retrievals. Finally, the ability of the SCC to provide high-quality aerosol optical products is demonstrated for an EARLINET intense observation period.

During the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in April–May 2010 multi-wavelength Raman lidar measurements were performed at the CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (CIAO), whenever weather conditions permitted observations. A methodology both for volcanic layer identification and accurate aerosol typing has been developed. This methodology relies on the multi-wavelength Raman lidar measurements and the support of long-term lidar measurements performed at CIAO since 2000. The aerosol mask for lidar measurements performed at CIAO during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption has been obtained. Volcanic aerosol layers were observed in different periods: 19–22 April, 27–29 April, 8–9 May, 13–14 May and 18–19 May. A maximum aerosol optical depth of about 0.12–0.13 was observed on 20 April, 22:00 UTC and 13 May, 20:30 UTC. Volcanic particles were detected at low altitudes, in the free troposphere and in the upper troposphere. Occurrences of volcanic particles within the PBL were detected on 21–22 April and 13 May. A Saharan dust event was observed on 13–14 May: dust and volcanic particles were simultaneously detected at CIAO at separated different altitudes as well as mixed within the same layer. Lidar ratios at 355 and 532 nm, the Ångström exponent at 355/532 nm, the backscatter-related Ångström exponent at 532/1064 nm and the particle linear depolarization ratio at 532 nm measured inside the detected volcanic layers are discussed. The dependence of these quantities on relative humidity has been investigated by using co-located microwave profiler measurements. The measured values of these intensive parameters indicate the presence of volcanic sulfates/continental mixed aerosol in the volcanic aerosol layers observed at CIAO. In correspondence of the maxima observed in the volcanic aerosol load on 19–20 April and 13 May, different values of intensive parameters were observed. Apart from the occurrence of sulfate aerosol, these values indicate also the presence of some ash which is affected by the aging during transport over Europe.

In this paper, we report the first systematic comparison of 12-year modeled dust extinction profiles vs. Raman lidar measurements. We use the BSC-DREAM8b model, one of the most widely used dust regional models in the Mediterranean, and Potenza EARLINET lidar profiles for Saharan dust cases, the largest one-site database of dust extinction profiles. A total of 310 dust cases were compared for the May 2000–July 2012 period. The model reconstructs the measured layers well: profiles are correlated within 5% of significance for 60% of the cases and the dust layer center of mass as measured by lidar and modeled by BSC-DREAM8b differ on average 0.3 ± 1.0 km. Events with a dust optical depth lower than 0.1 account for 70% of uncorrelated profiles. Although there is good agreement in terms of profile shape and the order of magnitude of extinction values, the model overestimates the occurrence of dust layer top above 10 km. Comparison with extinction profiles measured by the Raman lidar shows that BSC-DREAM8b typically underestimates the dust extinction coefficient, in particular below 3 km. Lowest model–observation differences (below 17%) correspond to a lidar ratio at 532 nm and Ångström exponent at 355/532 nm of 60 ± 13 and 0.1 ± 0.6 sr, respectively. These are in agreement with values typically observed and modeled for pure desert dust. However, the highest differences (higher than 85%) are typically related to greater Ångström values (0.5 ± 0.6), denoting smaller particles. All these aspects indicate that the level of agreement decreases with an increase in mixing/modification processes.

This review paper examines the hydrogeological characteristics and challenges of urban groundwater management in ten major Italian cities: Turin, Milano, Padova, Bologna, Roma, Pescara, Napoli, Bari, Catania, and Cagliari. Urbanization has placed significant pressure on groundwater systems, highlighting the need for sustainable management. The study categorizes the cities based on their hydrogeological settings and groundwater uses, identifying key issues such as salinization, industrial contamination, and land subsidence. The findings emphasize the importance of urban local aquifers (ULAs) for drinking water, industry, and ecological support, advocating for integrated urban water management and governance to enhance resilience against future water shortages and climate change impacts.

Despite their differences from more advanced and more powerful lidars, the low construction and operation cost of ceilometers (originally designed for cloud base height monitoring) has fostered their use for the quantitative study of aerosol properties. The large number of ceilometers available worldwide represents a strong motivation to investigate both the extent to which they can be used to fill in the geographical gaps between advanced lidar stations and also how their continuous data flow can be linked to existing networks of the more advanced lidars, like EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network). In this paper, multi-wavelength Raman lidar measurements are used to investigate the capability of ceilometers to provide reliable information about atmospheric aerosol properties through the INTERACT (INTERcomparison of Aerosol and Cloud Tracking) campaign carried out at the CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (760 m a.s.l., 40.60° N, 15.72° E), in the framework of the ACTRIS (Aerosol Clouds Trace gases Research InfraStructure) FP7 project. This work is the first time that three different commercial ceilometers with an advanced Raman lidar are compared over a period of 6 months. The comparison of the attenuated backscatter coefficient profiles from a multi-wavelength Raman lidar and three ceilometers (CHM15k, CS135s, CT25K) reveals differences due to the expected discrepancy in the signal to noise ratio (SNR) but also due to changes in the ambient temperature on the short and mid-term stability of ceilometer calibration. Therefore, technological improvements are needed to move ceilometers towards operational use in the monitoring of atmospheric aerosols in the low and free troposphere.