Investigation of the Planetary Boundary Layer and Low-Level Jets and their impact on the transport of gases and particulate matter in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo

• Grant number: 24/21872-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Meteorology
• Principal Investigator: Adalgiza Fornaro
• Grantee: Maciel Piñero Sánchez
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/07141-2 - Biogenic emissions, chemistry and impacts in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo: BIOMASP+, AP.TEM

Abstract

The city of São Paulo is among the largest megacities in the world and faces serious air pollution problems. In addition to the actions implemented to mitigate atmospheric pollutant emissions, it is very important to determine the factors that favor or hinder the dispersion process of these pollutants. The main objective of this project is to determine the influence of meteorological parameters, including the Planetary Boundary Layer (PLL) and the Low-Level Jet (LLJ), on the variability of gases and particulate matter in the metropolitan region of São Paulo (RMSP). The properties of the PLL and the LLJs will be estimated using the methodology developed and validated by Sánchez et al. (2020-22) from the vertical profiles of air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction extracted from radiosondes that will be launched as part of the intensive campaign that will be carried out in the second half of 2025 at the Reserva do Morro Grande (RMG) site. This methodology will also be applied to radiosondes launched regularly twice a day at 0900 and 2100 Local Time at Campo de Marte Airport during the period 2023-2025 to determine the impact of JBN on the variation in the concentration of these compounds throughout the year. In addition to the radiosonde data, we intend to complement this analysis with data on the concentration of atmospheric pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, MP10 and MP2.5) and greenhouse gas (CO2) measured on the surface at the RMG and Matão-IAG sites and those obtained from the air quality monitoring network managed by CETESB in the RMSP. Taking into account that during the intensive campaign we will have radiosondes simultaneously at 0900 and 2100 Local Time in a rural and urban area of ¿¿the RMSP, we intend to determine the influence that urbanization has on the spatial and temporal variation of the CLP and the JBNs. This study is part of the Thematic Project BIOMASP+ (Proc. FAPESP 2020/07141-2), whose main objective is to evaluate the impact of biosphere-atmosphere interactions on urban gaseous and particulate pollution in the RMSP.