Salvatore Larosa

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis IMAA

This work presents an algorithm based on a neural network (NN) for cloud detection to detect clouds and their thermodynamic phase using spectral observations from spaceborne microwave radiometers. A standalone cloud detection algorithm over the ocean and land has been developed to distinguish clear sky versus ice and liquid clouds from microwave so...

Observations from spaceborne microwave (MW) and infrared (IR) passive sensors are the backbone of current satellite meteorology, essential for data assimilation into modern numerical weather prediction and for climate benchmarking. While MW and IR observations from space offer complementary features with respect to cloud properties, their synergy f...

The identification of optically thin cirrus is crucial for their accurate parameterization in climate and Earth’s system models. This study exploits the characteristics of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer -New Generation (IASI-NG) to develop an algorithm for the detection of optically thin cirrus. IASI-NG has been designed for the E...

Reference data and procedures for ground atmospheric radiometry for European Space Agency stations and campaigns activities are designed and presented. The work aims to create a database of reference long-term simulations of atmospheric brightness temperature for monitoring radiometric accuracy and calibration and for developing retrieval algorithm...

The Arctic region is showing the most intense warming of the globe, because of different regional feedback mechanisms. Both observed and projected warming rates reach a maximum in the autumn and winter seasons (Bintanja and Krikken, 2016), when the Arctic surface energy budget is dominated by longwave radiation. Indeed, due to the seasonal variatio...

Reliable values of relative humidity are basic inputs for modelling in many disciplines and in the most disparate scientific fields. Unfortunately, humidity variables remain less focused than other meteorological parameters and generally suffer from considerable uncertainty mainly due to the fact that their observations are not widely available, fo...

The occurrence of fog often causes errors in the prediction of the incident solar radiation and the power produced by photovoltaic cells. An accurate fog forecast would benefit solar energy producers and grid operators, who could take coordinated actions to reduce the impact of discontinuity, the main drawback of renewable energy sources. Consideri...

The Erosion Potential Method is a model for qualifying the erosion severity and estimating the total annual sediment yield of a catchment. The method includes a diverse set of equations, which are influenced by different factors such as geology, morphology, climate and soil use. This study describes a PyQGIS YES plug-in, which allows a semiautomati...

In this study, we investigate the ability of several convective initiation predictors based on satellite infrared observations to distinguish convective weak precipitation events from those leading to intense rainfall. The two types of precipitation are identified according to hourly rainfall, respectively less than 10 mm and greater than 30 mm. Th...

Solar power generation is highly fluctuating due to its dependence on atmospheric conditions. The integration of this variable resource into the energy supply system requires reliable predictions of the expected power production as a basis for management and operation strategies. This is one of the goals of the Solar Cloud project, funded by the It...

Coastal areas are more and more exposed to the effects of climatic change. Intense local rainfalls increases the frequency of flash floods and/or flow-like subaerial and afterward submarine landslides. The overall phenomenon of flash flood is complex and involves different phases strongly connected: heavy precipitations in a short period of time, s...

This paper describes the first official release (v1.0) of RTTOV-gb. RTTOV-gb is a FORTRAN 90 code developed by adapting the atmospheric radiative transfer code RTTOV, focused on satellite-observing geometry, to the ground-based observing geometry. RTTOV-gb is designed to simulate ground-based upward-looking microwave radiometer (MWR) observations o...

This paper describes the first official release (v1.0) of RTTOV-gb. RTTOV-gb is a FORTRAN 90 code developed by adapting the atmospheric radiative transfer code RTTOV, focused on satellite observing geometry, to the ground-based observing geometry. RTTOV-gb is designed to simulate ground-based upward-looking microwave radiometer (MWR) observations o...

The purpose of this work is to explore the effect of temporal sampling on the accuracy of the hourly mean Surface Solar Irradiance (SSI) estimation. An upgraded version of the Advanced Model for the Estimation of Surface Solar Irradiance from Satellite (AMESIS), exploiting data from the Meteosat Second Generation Rapid Scanning Service (MSG-RSS), h...

This paper presents a geostatistical downscaling procedure to improve the spatial resolution of precipitation data. The kriging method with external drift has been applied to surface rain intensity (SRI) data obtained through the Operative Precipitation Estimation at Microwave Frequencies (OPEMW), which is an algorithm for rain rate retrieval based...

This study investigates the value of satellite-based observational algorithms in supporting numerical weather prediction (NWP) for improving the alert and monitoring of extreme rainfall events. To this aim, the analysis of the very intense precipitation that affected the city of Livorno on 9 and 10 September 2017 is performed by applying three remo...

A new algorithm for the estimation of atmospheric temperature (T) and water vapor (WV) vertical profiles in nonprecipitating conditions is presented. The microwave random forest temperature and water vapor (MiRTaW) profiling algorithm is based on the random forest (RF) technique and it uses microwave (MW) sounding from the Advanced Technology Micro...

The Advanced Model for the Estimation of Surface Solar Irradiance (AMESIS) was developed at the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis of the National Research Council of Italy (IMAA-CNR) to derive surface solar irradiance from SEVIRI radiometer on board the MSG geostationary satellite. The operational version of AMESIS has been runn...

In this study, we compare different nowcasting techniques based upon the calculation of motion vector fields derived from spectral channels of Meteosat Second Generation—Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (MSG-SEVIRI). The outputs of the nowcasting techniques are used as inputs to the Advanced Model for Estimation of Surface solar Irradi...

In this study, the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG)—Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) High Resolution Visible channel (HRV) is used in synergy with the narrow band MSG-SEVIRI channels for daytime fog detection. A new algorithm, named MSG-SEVIRI SatFog, has been designed and implemented. MSG-SEVIRI SatFog provides the indication...

Solar power generation is highly variable due its dependence on meteorological conditions. The integration of this fluctuating resource into the energy supply system requires reliable forecasts of the expected power production as a basis for management and operation strategies. This is one of the aims of the Solar Cloud project (funded by the Itali...

Solar photovoltaic (PV) power production is strictly dependent on the global irradiance that reaches the PV panels plane. Solar power production thus depend heavily on the different meteorological conditions. In particular, under fog, the balance between direct and diffuse components of solar irradiance varies depending on the thickness of the fog...

Solar power generation is highly variable due to its dependence on meteorological conditions. The integration of this fluctuating resource into the energy supply system requires reliable forecasts of the expected power production as a basis for management and operation strategies. This is one of the aims of the Solar Cloud project (funded by the It...

The morphological characteristics of the ground have a strong influence in solar resource assessment, especially in terrain with complex orography. The use of accurate Digital Model Terrain (DTM) plays a key role in assessing the amount of solar energy that reaches the earth surface. Complex terrain and areas with local micro-climatic characteristi...

A total of 141 samples mostly located in the Coastal Chain and the Sila Massif of Northern Calabria have been collected from 125 different springs and analyzed chemically and for the isotopic ratios 2H/1H and 18O/16O of water, with the ultimate aim to investigate isotope-elevation relationships for local meteoric waters. The Small Springs Method (S...

The estimation of sediments production in a river catchment area is a key issue in the land use management, the hydrological risk and the coastal erosion. In literature, there are several semi-quantitative models based on empirical equations, which relate climate factors, land use, geomorphological and geological processes. We used the Gavrilović m...

The estimation of sediments production in a river catchment area is a key issue in the land use management, the hydrological risk and the coastal erosion. In literature, there are several semi-quantitative models based on empirical equations, which relate climate factors, land use, geomorphological and geological processes. We used the Gavrilović m...

La stima della produzione dei sedimenti di un bacino idrografico rappresenta una problematica chiave nella definizione di politiche di gestione dell'uso del suolo, del rischio idrogeologico e dell'erosione costiera. In letteratura esistono diversi modelli semi-quantitativi che si basano su equazioni di tipo empirico che mettono in relazione fattori...

The spatial distribution of Calomera littoralis nemoralis (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera Carabidae Cicindelinae) was studied on the marine sandy beach area of 1 km, near the mouth of a stream in Catanzaro province (Southern Italy, Calabria). During the sampling period (July-August 2011- 2012) we investigated the distribution of adults of C. littoralis...

Calomera littoralis nemoralis is a tiger beetle living on sandy river banks and sea shores. In Italy as well as in other geographical areas the species is endangered. Females lay eggs in the sand and the larvae dig a burrow which emerges on the surface of the sand by a steep vertical pit. The larvae feed on insects and they draw back into their den...

This study belongs to the branch of research dedicated to the interpretation of the archaeological landscape using innovative models for the information analysis, managing and fruition of the land. To this aim, a preliminary analysis was carried out in order to identify the characteristic elements of the area being studied which are fundamental for...

The project SILVA SILA NET stands in the mainstream of proposals aimed at enhance the identity of places and its heritage, through the use of innovative approaches to the management and use of information. With this in mind what is a priority is to carry out a preliminary analysis to identify valuable elements to be taken as fundamental in its land...

La struttura ed il funzionamento del paesaggio dell’altopiano della Sila è il risultato di processi naturali ed antropici che si sono intrecciati negli ultimi secoli. L’analisi dei pattern spaziali che lo compongono, richiede un approccio multidisciplinare che prenda in considerazione sia gli elementi ecologici che antropici, mediante applicazioni...