Overview of My Research
I am an Atmospheric Scientist and Numerical Modeller based at ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Environment), Climate Modelling Division (Rome, IT), and Honorary Research Fellow at the British Antarctic Survey (Cambridge, UK).
I study the atmosphere (lower and upper layers) and the coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean system. I am particularly interested in atmospheric gravity waves, and the large scale coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean.
BIO
In 2014 I was awarded a PhD in “Atmosphere, Oceans and Climate” from the University of Reading (UK), Department of Meteorology, in 2017.
During my PhD, I investigated the dynamics of a type of atmospheric gravity waves, known as “mountain waves”, combining model simulations and theory.
As part of my PhD, I visited the Research Application Laboratory (RAL) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (BO, USA). There I studied the occurrence of mountain wave turbulence over the Rocky Mountains.
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From 2017 to 2020, I worked at the British Antarctic Survey (Cambridge, UK) as Earth System Modeler. I ran global climate model simulations that contributed to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6 project). CMIP6-based research constituted the scientific basis for the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
In 2020, I joined the University of Leeds where I worked on modelling the upper atmosphere as part of the WAVECHASM project. I have been in charge of developing a new gravity wave transport parameterisation for the WACCM climate model.
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In 2022 I joined the ICTP - Earth System Physics (Trieste, IT) section and currently I am Research Scientist at ENEA, Climate Modelling Division (Rome, IT). My research concerns the coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean at the polar regions via sea ice. In particular, I am interested in how sea ice is affected by changes in the parameterised orographic gravity wave drag in current climate models.
MY RESEARCH
Gravity waves are a constant presence in our skies. Most of the time invisible, their existence is occasionally revealed through cloud patterns. As they propagate, gravity waves transport energy and drive changes in winds, temperature and chemical composition of the atmosphere.
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At the polar regions the coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean is via sea ice. Sea ice regulates the exchange of heat, moisture and momentum between the atmosphere and the ocean.
My studies mostly focus on Antarctica, the fifth-largest continent on Earth covered almost completely by ice. I am particularly interested in the Antarctic Peninsula, I look at flow regimes over the Peninsula and how these influence the coupling between atmosphere and ocean.
CONTACTS
Thanks for your interest in my research. Get in touch with any questions regarding my work and publications.
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