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The aim of this research is to elucidate the projected bioclimatic conditions in the Mediterranean during midday and evening periods for both the near and far future under the representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 (intermediate) and RCP8.5 (extreme). This analysis focuses on twenty pivotal tourist destinations, including Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Nice, Tunis, Rome, Malta, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Methoni, Chalkidiki, Athens, Heraklion, Naxos, Rhodes, Istanbul, Alexandria, Antalya, Cairo, and Limassol. To quantify the current and projected bioclimatic conditions, the study employs the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET), which is based on the human energy balance. While the Mediterranean region is recognized as a hot spot for climate change, the distinctive bioclimatic patterns of individual locations are anticipated to exhibit notable variations, with consequential implications on tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in the frequency of wildfire occurrence is predicted in all climate model estimates, implying significant health impacts, due to the emission of combustion products. Application of pollutant dispersion models at strategic and operational levels is imperative for safety reasons and for compliance with European Civil Protection Mechanism policies. Here, we describe the dispersion of smoke from the forest fire of Penteli-Attica (Greece) on 19 July 2022, which burnt a total area of 2781.7 hectares. High-resolution dispersion simulations, air-quality measurements, and remote sensing observations are used to describe the transport of smoke and facilitate effective smoke control in areas where air quality impacts are likely to be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting volcanic ash transport is crucial for aviation, but its accuracy is subject to both the prevailing wind fields and the knowledge of the source term of the eruption, i.e., variation of emission rate and column height with time. In this study, we use data from the high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) in space, Aeolus, to examine their impact on the estimation of the emission rates of volcanic particles through inversion techniques. For the inverse modelling, we couple the output of the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model with lidar observations towards estimating the emission rates of volcanic particles released from an Etna eruption. The case study used here is the Etna eruption on the 12 March 2021, well captured by the ground-based lidar station of the PANGEA observatory located at the remote island of Antikythera in Greece, downwind of the Etna volcano. It is concluded that the inversion algorithm with Aeolus wind fields assimilation optimizes both the vertical emission distribution and the Etna emission rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the spatial and temporal variability of the Aridity Index (AI) in the Mediterranean region during the 30-year period 1971-2000 is analyzed. The analysis is performed on a decadal timescale. Subsequently, the projected change in the AI in the periods 2031-2060 (near future) and 2071-2100 (far future) under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios in comparison with 1971-2000 (reference period) is presented. The input of the calculations are simulation results supplied by the CORDEX EU project. In total, an ensemble of 20 combinations of global climate models (GCMs) and regional climate models (RCMs) are used. The calculation of the AI is based on potential evapotranspiration, which, in turn, is calculated according to the classic method of Thornthwaite. Our results show that drier conditions are to be expected in the future along a wide zone in southern Europe, including Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, as well as in Northern Africa, particularly under the RCP8.5 scenario and towards the end of the century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineral dust particles are key ingredients of the atmosphere. They interact in atmospheric physics and chemistry and have important implications for human health. Therefore, it is important to examine the properties of these aerosols, including their ambient concentrations, size distributions, shape and mineral composition. In this work, we use satellite remote sensing from Sentinel 2A and EMIT missions to derive the mineralogical composition of surface areas, and we describe the development of a new module to represent the atmospheric life cycle of individual dust minerals in WRF-Chem. In the first step, the GMINER30 mineralogical database is implemented in WRF-Chem to describe the emission, transport, dry and wet deposition of different mineral types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality simulations were performed for the Greater Athens Area in very high spatial resolution using the modeling system WRF-CAMx. Sensitivity runs were performed using the SOAP and VBS schemes for organic gas-aerosol partitioning and oxidation. In January 2019, OA-VBS decreased compared to OA-SOAP because of POA reduction. In July 2019, the OA-VBS increased with respect to OA-SOAP as a result of the increase in SOA levels exceeding the decrease in POA ones. The comparison of the WRF-CAMx results against PM10, PM2.5, and OC surface measurements provides the first indications for improved CAMx performance with the VBS scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]