A deterministic air quality forecasting system for Torino urban area, Italy

An urban air quality forecasting system for Torino city has been developed, within the EU funded project FUMAPEX, to support the prevention and management of urban air pollution episodes. The proposed forecasting system is designed to provide stakeholders with information useful to define mitigation actions, and to inform the population. The modelling system is based on prognostic downscaling of weather forecasts and on multi-scale chemical transport model simulation, in order to describe atmospheric circulation in a complex topographic environment, space/time variation of emissions and pollutant import from neighbouring regions. Nested domains are employed to reach the target resolution of 1 km, resolving the main structure of the urban area. The modelling system has been verified through its application to a summer photochemical episode and to a winter NO2 and PM10 episode. The verification has demonstrated the system capability to describe space and time variation of summer NO2 and O3 concentrations. Winter pollution levels during rush hours have also correctly reproduced, while underestimation of NO2 and PM10 has been found during the central part of the day. The positive results of FUMAPEX project induced Piemonte Region and Novara Province Administrations to implement operational air quality forecasting systems for the cities of Torino and Novara.