Education
Industrial Chemistry (score 110/110) at Università degli Studi Ca' Foscari of Venezia
PhD Nuclear Chemistry (score 60/60) at Università degli Studi di Padova
ORCID: 0000-0002-1778-672X
Scopus Author ID: 56024971900
ResearcherID: L-3562-2016
https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/laura.tositti
ACADEMICS
Member of the Doctorate in Geophysics 2017-2020
Member of the Doctorate in Climate Sciences 2020-2022
Associated Professor in the area CHIM12 (Chim 01A) Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage at the Dept of Chemistry "G. Ciamician” Univ. of Bologna
National Habilitation as full professor since 2019
REFEREE ACTIVITY: see https://publons.com/researcher/1389793/laura-tositti/ ) reviewer for Atmospheric Environment, Chemosphere, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Journal of Geophysical Research-D (Atmospheres), Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Science of the Total Environment, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health
CURRENT TEACHING ACTIVITY at Università of Bologna
Master degree (Laurea Magistrale) in Chemistry: Chemistry of the Environment and of Climatic Change
Master degree (Laurea Magistrale) in Physics of the Earth System: Atmospheric Chemistry
Master degree (Laurea Magistrale) in Science of Conservation and Restoration: Air Pollution Chemistry
Bachelor in Chemistry:Chemistry and control of pollutants
Erasmus Mundus Master ChiR- Chemical Innovation & Regulation: A0104 Environmental Analysis and Detection in the Environment
Professional Master Course in Forensic Chemical and Toxicological Analysis: Case studies in Environmental Forensic Chemistry
Doctorate in Science of Climate: The Chemistry of Global Change
Tutor of 7 PhD candidates since 1998 (2 in Environmental Science, 3 in Chemistry, 1 in Geophysics; 1 in Atmospheric Physics)
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY in brief
Associated professor at Bologna University since 2005, habilitation as Full professor since 2019, her main research activity is focussed on atmospheric pollution (airborne particulate matter: chemical speciation and receptor modelling in both urban/industrial sites and remote locations) and environmental radioactivity (nuclear power plants and inherent large-scale accidents, radon, radiotracers in the comprehension of complex environmental and climate change problems, including radiochronology). She has been the first researcher within the Italian academia to adopt PM10 metrics for airborne particulate matter sampling in 1996. Her activity is carried out within basic research areas (urban and remote districts, including Antarctica and high mountain observatories) , covering both air quality and climate related issues. Recent research work has included atmospheric deposition studies, dripwater in cave environment and is including bioaerosol influence in aerosol studies. In the last decade she has been and still is carrying out an intense scientific activity for forensic purposes in support of State attorneys (Procura della Repubblica of 4 Provinces); in this framework she has been the coordinator and scientific responsible for the environmental assessment (air pollution) from large scale industrial plants in Italy, within the framework of attorney investigations (5 cases treated, legal procedures still on-going for 4). All the forensic activities mentioned consisted in the experimental design of the sampling and analytical campaigns leading to the collection of 150 000- 250 000 experimental data each, including gases, meteorological data, high resolution particulate matter data and PM10 sampling and chemical speciation for 50-70 different chemical parameters each. The data sets were collected through L. Tositti’s coordination activity of experimental work led in her own lab, in university labs acknowledged for their skill in aerosol speciation namely UNIMI and UNIFI and the local Environmental Agencies in charge of the surveillance of the districts investigated according to the attorney’s provisions.
Scientific Responsibilities as Principal Investigator in research projects
2021 - ongoing: Aerosol speciation and source apportionment of airborne particulate in Moscow
2020 - ongoing: National Project of Research in Antarctica: STEAR - Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Exchange in the Antarctic Region (PNRA D.D. 1314 del 25/05/2018 PNRA18_00069)
2019: Contact person for Bologna University at Fondazione Innovazione Urbana - Bologna town Administration (impact of air pollution from traffic on the urban environment and human health)
2019- 2022: Airborne particulate in caves (Coll. Jo De Waele BIGEA)
2019- 2021: Microbiome and airborne particulate (Coll. Marco Candela FABIT)
2018- ongoing: Interactions between air pollution and pollen (Coll. Stefano Del Duca BIGEA)
2017-ongoing: Compact low-cost multiprobes for atmospheric monitoring, including UAV and cultural heritage applications
2017-ongoing: Element speciation in airborne particulate matter through high energy methods (XAS, XPS, EXAFS- based on synchrotron application) Coll. with Marco Giorgetti, UNIBO Dept. Ind. Chemistry “Toso Montanari)
1996-2019: airborne radioactivity in the study of atmospheric circulation at the background WMO-GAW station “O. Vittori” (Northern Apennines, 2165 m a.s.l.): EU Projects VOTALP I, II), STACCATO in collab. with ISAC-CNR; more developments on the analysis of the collected dataset are still ongoing in collaboration with NASA/NIA and with the University of Elche, Spain) – Main focuses: Stratosphere-to- troposphere exchange, Saharan dust intrusions, PM10 source areas in the central Mediterranean basin (coll. Bonasoni e Cristofanelli ISAC-CNR)
2017-ongoing: Source apportionment of Airborne Particulate Matter in Val d’Agri oil field (Basilicata) (Formal Collaboration with Rosa Caggiano, IMAA-CNR, Tito Scalo (PZ))
2016-ongoing: New chemiluminescence and bioluminescence methods for the determination of airborne particulate matter toxicity via ROS production in collaboration with Stefano Girotti, Dept. Pharmacy and Biotechnology Univ. of Bologna
2016-2018: Impact of dust-laden African air masses and of stratospheric air masses in the Iberian Peninsula. Role of the Atlas mountains. Acrónimo: FRESA (MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD, Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad).
2015-ongoing: Chemical speciation and Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in a highly impacted area in southern Apulia (funded, CTU Procura della Repubblica di Brindisi P r o c . N . 1 0 4 3 / 1 4 r . g . n . r . m o d 2 1 )
2015-ongoing: Atmospheric deposition of atmospheric pollutants as a function of an elevational gradient in the Terni district, central Italy (formal collaboration with D. Cappelletti Univ. Perugia, Dip. Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie)
2014-2016: Chemical speciation and Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in an industrial district in inner Liguria (funded, CTU Procura della Repubblica di Savona, Procedimento Nr. 653/14 r.g.n.r. mod 21)
2014-2016: Chemical speciation and Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in a highly impacted town in the Adriatic coast (funded, CTU Procura della Repubblica di Gorizia P r o c . N . 1213/13 R.N.R.I)
2014- ongoing: Geological and geochemical control on natural radioactivity and radon occurrence in the Euganean Hills district (Italy) (in coll. with the Dept. of Geosciences Univ. of Padua, funded)
2014-ongoing: Characterization of atmospheric aerosol profiles (from ground level up to 25 km) with stratospheric balloons (ESA Bexus-18 – Formal collaboration with CNRS/Univ. de Orléans)
2014: Radon in railway tunnel boring (funded, consultancy activity in favour of a private company)
2011: Assessment of indoor pollution levels in an office story building (consultancy activity in favour of Coop-Italia, funded)
2011: Follow up of the Fukushima atmospheric radioactive plume in Italy (follow up of Fukushima nuclear accident following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake)
2011-2013: Chemical speciation and Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in a highly impacted town in the Ligurian coast (funded, CTU Procura della Repubblica di Savona Proc. N.2006/10/44 r.g.n.r)
2008-2010: Assessment of background levels of airborne particulate matter in the Po Delta area (funded, CTU Procura della Repubblica di Rovigo Proc. N. 4163/07)
2008-2010: MONITER, Monitoring of waste incinerators in Emilia Romagna Region (Responsible of the reserch unit on ion speciation for the whole project) (Regione Emilia Romagna, funded)
2008-2010: Natural radioactivity and radon potential in the Vulsini volcanic district
2007-2008: Levels of metal and non-metal elements in PM10 in the Ferrara Province (Progetto Obiettivo II, in coll. with ARPA-ER Environmental Protection Agency of Emilia Romagna, funded)
2008: Comparison of destructive (ICP-MS) and non-destructive (XRF, PIXE) methods in the determination of DL 155 elements in PM10 (Pb, As, Cd, Ni) (Progetto Polvere III, in coll. with ARPA-ER Environmental Protection Agency of Emilia Romagna, funded)
2007-2008: Physical and chemical characterization of airborne particulate emissions from train braking (Trenitalia, funded)
2007: Airborne particulate ion speciation (Fondazione CARISBO research contribution for research and instrumentation acquisition, awarded to L.Tositti )
2004-2006: SITECOS, Integrated study on the national territory for the characterization and control of the atmospheric pollutants”, PRIN 2004 project, Ministery of University, Education and Research, funded (chemical speciation of PM10 and PM2.5 in Bologna, Tositti local coordinator)
2004-2006: Chemical characterization of size-segregated aerosol in Bologna (Progetto Polvere II, in coll. with ARPA-ER Environmental Protection Agency of Emilia Romagna, Funded)
2002-2004: Atmospheric deposition of stable and radioactive pollutants in peat-bogs of central Siberia (coll. With the Physics Dept. of Bologna University, Tunguska cosmic body effects)
1984-1988: Atmospheric deposition of stable and radioactive pollutants in the Venice lagoon and recent radiochronological reconstruction by 210Pb dating
1986-1988: the distribution of radioactive pollution from Chernobyl accident in NE Italy
1985- 1988: Enhancement of natural radionuclides level in industrial processes: coal-fired power plants and phosphate-based fertilizers (from NORM to TENORM)
1989-2005: National Project of Research in Antarctica (funded): application of radiotracer methods to describe the biogeochemical cycle of atmospheric species in the Terra Nova Bay area (assessment of artificial radioactivity deposition in the Antarctic environment; radon and thoron ration in the study of the coastal circulation in the Ross Sea)
2005-2008: National Project of Research in Antarctica (funded): cycling of CO2 at the air/sea interface in the Ross Sea and climatic implications
2005- to date: National Project of Research in Antarctica (funded): Characterization of recent sediments in the Ross Sea with focus on biogenic components and links to Primary Production
Recent publication in atmospheric science
Cristofanelli, Paolo; Brattich, Erika; Decesari, Stefano; Landi, Tony Christian; Maione, Michela; Putero, Davide; Tositti, Laura; Bonasoni, Paolo, High-Mountain Atmospheric Research: The Italian Mt. Cimone WMO/GAW Global Station (2165 m a.s.l.), Basel/New York, Springer International Publishing, 2018, pp. 135 (SPRINGERBRIEFS IN METEOROLOGY). [libro]
Tositti, Laura; Pieri, Linda; Brattich, Erika; Parmeggiani, Silvia; Ventura, Francesca, Chemical characteristics of atmospheric bulk deposition in a semi-rural area of the Po Valley (Italy), «JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY», 2017, 1, pp. 1 - 25 [articolo]
Brattich, E.; Orza, J. A. G.; Cristofanelli, P.; Bonasoni, P.; Tositti, L., Influence of Stratospheric Air Masses on Radiotracers and Ozone over the Central Mediterranean, «JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES», 2017, 122, pp. 7164 - 7182 [articolo]
Chambers, S. D.; Choi, T.; Park, S. -. J.; Williams, A. G.; Hong, S. -. B.; Tositti, L.; Griffiths, A. D.; Crawford, J.; Pereira, E., Investigating local and remote terrestrial influence on air masses at contrasting Antarctic sites using Radon-222 and back trajectories, «JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES», 2017, 122, pp. 13525 - 13544 [articolo]
Brattich, Erika; Liu, Hongyu; Tositti, Laura; Considine, David B.; Crawford, James H., Processes controlling the seasonal variations of 210Pb and 7Be at the Mt. Cimone WMO-GAW global station, Italy: A model analysis, «ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS», 2017, 17, pp. 1061 - 1080 [articolo]
Putero, Davide; Cristofanelli, Paolo; Sprenger, Michael; Škerlak, Bojan; Tositti, Laura; Bonasoni, Paolo, STEFLUX, a tool for investigating stratospheric intrusions: application to two WMO/GAW global stations, «ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS», 2016, 16, pp. 14203 - 14217 [articolo]
Brattich, E.; Hernández-Ceballos, M.A.; Orza, J.A.G.; Bolívar, J.P.; Tositti, L, The western Mediterranean basin as an aged aerosols reservoir. Insights from an old-fashioned but efficient radiotracer, «ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT», 2016, 141, pp. 481 - 493 [articolo]
Masson, Olivier; Bieringer, Jacqueline; Brattich, Erika; Dalheimer, Axel; Estier, Sybille; Penev, Ilia; Ringer, Wolfgang; Schlosser, Clemens; Steinkopff, Thomas; Steinmann, Philipp; Tositti, Laura; Beek, Pieter Van; Vismes-Ott, Anne de, Variation in airborne 134Cs, 137Cs, particulate 131I and 7Be maximum activities at high-altitude European locations after the arrival of Fukushima-labeled air masses, «JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY», 2016, 162-163, pp. 14 - 22 [articolo]
Erika Brattich; Angelo Riccio; Laura Tositti; Paolo Cristofanelli; Paolo Bonasoni, An outstanding Saharan dust event at Mt. Cimone (2165 m a.s.l., Italy) in March 2004, «ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT», 2015, 113, pp. 223 - 235 [articolo]
Erika Brattich; Miguel Angel Hernadéz-Ceballos; Giorgia Cinelli; Laura Tositti, Analysis of 210Pb peak values at Mt. Cimone (1998-2011), «ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT», 2015, 112, pp. 136 - 147 [articolo]
P. Cristofanelli; H.-E. Scheel; M. Steinbacher; M. Saliba; F. Azzopardi; R. Ellul; M. Fröhlich; L. Tositti; E. Brattich; M. Maione; F. Calzolari; R. Duchi; T.C. Landi; A. Marinoni; P. Bonasoni, Long-term surface ozone variability at Mt. Cimone WMO/GAW Global Station (2165 m a.s.l., Italy), «ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT», 2015, 101, pp. 23 - 33 [articolo]
Pubblicazioni complete o sul sito istituzionale UNIBO o via Orcid, RESEARCHid, WOS.
