Contact Dr Valerio Ferracci
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111 x3365
- Email: V.Ferracci@cranfield.ac.uk
- Twitter: @atmos_vf
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
- ResearchGate
Areas of expertise
- Air
- Energy and the Environment
- Environment and Health
- Instrumentation, Sensors and Measurement Science
- Monitoring and Environmental Informatics
Background
Valerio is a Research Fellow specialising in trace gas monitoring and modelling, atmospheric oxidation processes, biosphere-atmosphere exchange and gas sensor development. His expertise spans all three pillars of atmospheric science, i.e. field observations, numerical modelling and laboratory studies, along with experience in analytical science.
Valerio joined Cranfield University in 2017. Prior to that, he worked on modelling atmospheric oxidation processes in Cambridge (2016-17), and on developing analytical approaches to gas monitoring at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL, 2012-16). In particular, his work on ammonia monitoring while at NPL was incorporated into a European Standard (EN-17346) by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN),
Valerio has an MSci in Chemistry from University College London (UCL, 2008) and a PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry, also from UCL (2012). His work while at UCL focused on the kinetics of a number of ozone-depleting halogen oxide radical reactions and contributed to reconciling stratospheric ozone loss observations with models.
Valerio is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC), Treasurer of the RSC Environmental Chemistry Group and committee member of the Automation and Analytical Management Group.
Current activities
Valerio's research focuses on developing and deploying new sensing technologies to understand processes affecting the trace composition of the atmosphere. In particular, he is currently working on:
Biosphere-atmosphere interactions: global change is affecting emissions of trace gases into the atmosphere, with consequences ranging from deteriorating air quality to climate feedbacks. Autonomous instrumentation developed in our group is helping monitor a number of key biogenic species (e.g., isoprene, dimethyl sulphate) from a variety of ecosystems (e.g., temperate and tropical forests, oceans) to better understand the drivers of biogenic emissions and how they will change in the near future under different climate scenarios.
Sensor development: development of sensors for trace gas detection (isoprene, dimethyl sulphide, greenhouse gases, etc.).
London greenhouse gas network: we are currently collaborating on a NERC project to estimate greenhouse gas emissions in London using a network of novel portable gas analysers. Combining measurements and modelling approaches we seek to validate current emission estimates and the effects of environmental policies.
Clients
NERC
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Culleton LP, di Meane EA, Ward MK, Ferracci V, Persijn S, Holmqvist A, Arrhenius K, Murugan A & Brewer PJ (2022) Characterization of Fourier transform infrared, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy instruments for the analysis of ammonia in biogas and biomethane, Analytical Chemistry, 94 (44) 15207-15214.
- Song C, Becagli S, Beddows DCS, Brean J, Browse J, Dai Q, Dall’Osto M, Ferracci V, Harrison RM, Harris N, Li W, Jones AE, Kirchgäßner A, Kramawijaya AG, Kurganskiy A, Lupi A, Mazzola M, Severi M, Traversi R & Shi Z (2022) Understanding sources and drivers of size-resolved aerosol in the High Arctic islands of Svalbard using a receptor model coupled with machine learning, Environmental Science and Technology, 56 (16) 11189-11198.
- di Meane EA, Brown RJC, Brewer PJ, Ferracci V & van Wijk JIT (2022) Investigation of cylinder pre-treatments for the stability of ammonia gas reference materials, Accreditation and Quality Assurance, 27 (4) 249-254.
- Landwehr S, Volpi M, Haumann FA, Robinson CM, Thurnherr I, Ferracci V, Baccarini A, Thomas J, Gorodetskaya I, Tatzelt C, Henning S, Modini RL, Forrer HJ, Lin Y, Cassar N, Simó R, Hassler C, Moallemi A, Fawcett SE, Harris N, Airs R, Derkani MH, Alberello A, Toffoli A, Chen G, Rodríguez-Ros P, Zamanillo M, Cortés-Greus P, Xue L, Bolas CG, Leonard KC, Perez-Cruz F, Walton D & Schmale J (2021) Exploring the coupled ocean and atmosphere system with a data science approach applied to observations from the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition, Earth System Dynamics, 12 (4) 1295-1369.
- Ferracci V, Bolas CG, Freshwater RA, Staniaszek Z, King T, Jaars K, Otu-Larbi F, Beale JE, Malhi Y, Waine TW, Jones RL, Ashworth K & Harris NRP (2020) Continuous isoprene measurements in a UK temperate forest for a whole growing season: effects of drought stress during the 2018 heatwave, Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (15) Article No. e2020GL088885.
- Pan Y, Gu M, He Y, Wu D, Liu C, Song L, Tian S, Lü X, Sun Y, Song T, Walters WW, Liu X, Martin NA, Zhang Q, Fang Y, Ferracci V & Wang Y (2020) Revisiting the concentration observations and source apportionment of atmospheric ammonia, Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 37 (9) 933-938.
- Hoare D, Jones RL, Harris NRP, Ferracci V, Carruthers D, Stidworthy A, Forsyth E & Rigby M (2020) Development of an urban greenhouse gas modelling system to support a London monitoring network, Weather, 75 (11) 353-359.
- Otu‐Larbi F, Bolas CG, Ferracci V, Staniaszek Z, Jones RL, Malhi Y, Harris NR, Wild O & Ashworth K (2020) Modelling the effect of the 2018 summer heatwave and drought on isoprene emissions in a UK woodland, Global Change Biology, 26 (4) 2320-2335.
- Bolas CG, Ferracci V, Robinson AD, Mead MI, Mohd MS, Pyle JA, Jones RL & Harris NRP (2020) iDirac: a field-portable instrument for long-term autonomous measurements of isoprene and selected VOCs, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 13 (2) 821-838.
- Martin NA, Ferracci V, Cassidy N, Hook J, Battersby RM, di Meane EA, Tang YS, Stephens AC, Leeson SR, Jones MR, Braban CF, Gates L, Hangartner M, Stoll JM, Sacco P, Pagani D, Hoffnagle JA & Seitler E (2019) Validation of ammonia diffusive and pumped samplers in a controlled atmosphere test facility using traceable Primary Standard Gas Mixtures, Atmospheric Environment, 199 (February) 453-462.
- Fittschen C, Al Ajami M, Batut S, Ferracci V, Archer-Nicholls S, Archibald AT & Schoemaecker C (2019) ROOOH: the missing piece of the puzzle for OH measurements in low NO environments, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 19 (1) 349-362.
- Bacquart T, Perkins M, Ferracci V, Martin NA, Resner K, Ward MK, Cassidy N, Hook JB, Brewer PJ, Irvine JT, Connor PA & Murugan A (2018) Production and stability of low amount fraction of formaldehyde in hydrogen gas standards, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 43 (13) 6711-6722.
- Brewer PJ, Gieseking B, Ferracci VF, Ward M, van Wijk J, van der Veen AM, Lima AA, Augusto CR, Oh SH, Kim BM, Lee S, Konopelko LA, Kustikov Y, Shimosaka T, Niederhauser B, Guillevic M, Pascale C, Zhou Z, Wang D & Hu S (2018) International comparison CCQM-K116: 10 μmol mol-1 water vapour in nitrogen, Metrologia, 55 (1A) Article No. 08018.
- Ferracci V, Heimann I, Abraham NL, Pyle JA & Archibald AT (2018) Global modelling of the total OH reactivity: investigations on the “missing” OH sink and its atmospheric implications, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18 (10) 7109-7129.
- Viallon J, Flores E, Idrees F, Moussay P, Wielgosz RI, Kim D, Kim YD, Lee S, Persijn S, Konopelko LA, Kustikov YA, Malginov AV, Chubchenko IK, Klimov AY, Efremova OV, Zhou Z, Possolo A, Shimosaka T, Brewer P, Macé T, Ferracci V, Brown RJC & Aoki N (2017) CCQM-K90, formaldehyde in nitrogen, 2 μmol mol− 1 Final report, Metrologia, 54 (Technical Supplement) Article No. 08029.
- Pogány A, Balslev-Harder D, Braban CF, Cassidy N, Ebert V, Ferracci V, Hieta T, Leuenberger D, Martin NA, Pascale C, Peltola J, Persijn S, Tiebe C, Twigg MM, Vaittinen O, van Wijk J, Wirtz K & Niederhauser B (2016) A metrological approach to improve accuracy and reliability of ammonia measurements in ambient air, Measurement Science and Technology, 27 (11) Article No. 115012.
- Martin N, Ferracci V, Cassidy N & Hoffnagle J (2016) The application of a cavity ring-down spectrometer to measurements of ambient ammonia using traceable primary standard gas mixtures, Applied Physics B, 122 (8) Article No. 219.
- Ferracci V, Brown A, Harris P & Brown R (2015) An investigation of the matrix sensitivity of refinery gas analysis using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection, Journal of Chromatography A, 1383 144-150.
- Ferracci V & Rowley DM (2014) Kinetic studies of the BrO + ClO cross-reaction over the range T = 246-314 K, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 16 (3) 1182-1196.
- Ferracci V & Rowley D (2012) The temperature dependence of the bimolecular channels of the ClO + ClO reaction over the range T = 298-323 K, International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, 44 (6) 386-397.
- Ferracci V, Hino K & Rowley D (2011) Kinetic studies on the temperature dependence of the BrO + BrO reaction using laser flash photolysis, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 13 (17) 7997-8007.
- Ferracci V & Rowley D (2010) Kinetic and thermochemical studies of the ClO + ClO + M Cl 2O2 + M reaction, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 12 (37) 11596-11608.
Conference Papers
- Hoare D, Jones RL, Fan S, Harris N, Ferracci V, Carruthers D, Stidworthy A, Forsyth E & Rigby M (2021) Inferring London’s methane emissions from atmospheric measurements. In: EGU General Assembly, 2021, Virtual Event, 19-30 April 2021.
- Bird D, Cook A, Melgari P, Robbins D, Hollis P, Brewer P & Ferracci V (2016) Production and measurement of large-area moisture barriers for electronic applications. In: Sixth Electronic System-Integration Technology Conference (ESTC 2016), Grenoble, 13-16 September 2016.
- Pogany A, Balslev-Harder D, Braban C, Cassidy N, Ebert V, Ferracci V, Hieta T, Leuenberger D, Luttschwager N, Martin N, Pascale C, Tiebe C, Twigg M, Vaittinen O, Van Wijk J, Wirtz K & Niederhauser B (2015) Metrology for ammonia in ambient air-concept and first results of the EMRP project MetNH3. In: 17th International Congress of Metrology (CIM 2015), Paris, 21-24 September 2015.