Noelia Otero Felipe

Supervisors: Prof. Tim Butler (IASS), Prof. Henning Rust (FU), Dr. Ernst Hauber (DLR)

Project: Impacts of atmospheric blocking on extreme air pollution over Europe: Implications under climate change.

A critical implication of climate change is to alter the frequency and intensity of climate extreme events, such as heat waves and cold spells, which have been linked to atmospheric blocking, one of the most impactful weather regimes over Europe. These persistent patterns are also associated with enhanced air pollution, due to the build-up of pollutants under stagnant flow conditions. Therefore, future changes in the frequency and duration of blocking might influence weather extreme events and consequently impact future air quality.

Within a joint interdisciplinary project with the IASS and FU, we aim to provide a new data science framework based on a set of statistical methods applied to different datasets, including in-situ observations, satellite data and numerical model outputs, to investigate the influence of atmospheric blocking on extreme air pollution. Furthermore, we will quantify the impacts of climate change on future air quality over Europe.

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