Vall d'Hebron Talks by VHIR 'Air quality systems and climate predictions, tools developed at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center for their application in biomedicine'

Speaker:  Albert Soret Miravet, Earth System Services Group Leader at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).

It is widely known that climate change and air quality have an impact on different aspects of human health, but to what extent are we able to predict and characterize the environmental variables that affect us? The goal of the presentation is to explain the work and lines of research that are developed at the BSC with the aim of seeking potential synergies with the eCORE of Global Heatlh that carry out biomedical research in which air pollution and meteorology play a key role.

The Earth System Services Group (https://ess.bsc.es/) is an interdisciplinary team of experienced researchers covering all aspects of climate science and air quality, from fundamental research to composition modeling climate and atmosphere to its use and impact in different sectors of society such as renewable energy, agriculture or health.

We co-produce climate and air quality services, and facilitate the transfer of cutting-edge research knowledge and technology locally, nationally and internationally. Our purpose is to demonstrate the value of climate prediction, atmospheric composition and weather forecasting services to society and key sectors of the economy. Our state-of-the-art operational forecast services for climate, air quality and air dust are created in partnership with governments, meteorological services and through private contracts with companies. Close collaboration and partnership with stakeholders are essential to foster adaptation to climate change and move towards a more resilient, sustainable and carbon neutral society.

CV:  Albert Soret holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Barcelona). He is the head of the Earth System Services group at the Earth Sciences Department of the BSC and an adjunct lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. The group hosts ~45 research engineers, physicists, social scientists, economists, communication experts, and air quality/climate researchers who bring the latest developments in Earth sciences to society. He has 15 years of experience as a researcher in Air Quality and Climate. His expertise includes atmospheric emissions, meteorological and air quality modelling, and climate services. His research facilitates technology transfer from local to national to international levels to advance sustainable development in key sectors such as urban development, infrastructure, energy, transport, health, agriculture, and water management. He is the principal investigator of the ASPECT project (EC-HE) and previously coordinated the S2S4E project (EC-H2020). He is the work package leader and principal investigator at BSC of different projects and contracts: e.g. Clim4Energy (Copernicus), VISCA (H2020) and AI4DROUGHT (ESA). He coordinates the development of the air quality forecast system for Spain and Catalonia (CALIOPE Air Quality Forecast System). His work has resulted in 52 peer-reviewed publications, five chapters in books, proceedings, and reports, and more than 80 contributions to conferences/workshops/seminars. He is the supervisor of several postdocs and five PhD students.

Host: Dr. M. Jesús Cruz, Pneumology Group (VHIR)

Informació que conté un vídeo sobre el projecte; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTCq7Wk1PCY