Dr. Antonio Capponi
Postdoc
I hold an M.Sc. in Geology (Sapienza University of Rome) and a Ph.D. in Experimental Volcanology (Lancaster University). Since 2022 I have been a Postdoctoral Researcher at LMU Munich; prior roles include Senior Research Associate at Lancaster, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Durham University, and earlier research posts at Sapienza/INGV and as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher at Lancaster.
CV
2022-Present Postdoctoral Researcher, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
2022-Present Honorary Researcher, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
2019-2022 Senior Research Associate, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
2016-2019 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Durham University, UK
2012-2016 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
2011-2012 Research Associate, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia & Dept. of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
2010-2011 Research Associate, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University & Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
- 2017 Bulletin of Volcanology Award - Most cited paper in 2017 for an Early Career Researcher (Capponi et al. 2016, Recycled ejecta modulating Strombolian explosions, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-016-1001-z)
Research
My research primarily focuses on the transport and settling dynamics of volcanic ash clouds, with particular attention to particle clustering and aggregation, and their implications for hazard mitigation. My work integrates laboratory experiments and field observations (UAVs, radar, thermal/optical imaging) to improve the accuracy of volcanic ash transport and dispersion models.
Clustering in an experimental ash fall column. (a) Laser-illuminated frame showing particle clusters and voids. (b) Voronoi tessellation of the same field; cell area is inversely proportional to local concentration (green, high particle concentration/small cells; red, low particle concentration/large cells). | © Antonio Capponi
Volcanic Ash Clustering and Aggregation Dynamics
Explosive volcanic eruptions inject voluminous amounts of ash into the atmosphere, which then disperses regionally and globally. Suspended particles self-organize into dense clusters separated by particle-poor regions (i.e., clustering). Clustering affects collision rates, aggregation, accelerates settling, and controls how long particles remain airborne, yet most dispersion models still assume nearly uniform particle fields and overlook these effects. Direct measurements are scarce and calibrated clustering/aggregation models are lacking. To address this, I built a custom three-metre settling facility (AshTAG) that generates reproducible columns of falling ash particles. Within these sustained experimental columns, we resolve both the spatial patterning of clusters and their temporal evolution, quantify collision and aggregation rates, and relate structure to particle size, concentration, and turbulence. These observations target the fundamental mechanisms that drive clustering and provide the physics needed to guide future model development and improve forecast accuracy.
2022 Capponi A, Harvey NJ, Dacre HF, Beven K, Saint C, Wells CA, James MR. Refining an ensemble of volcanic ash forecasts using satellite retrievals: Raikoke 2019. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6115-2022
2022 Harvey NJ, Western LM, Dacre HF, Capponi A. Can decision theory help end-users take the appropriate action in an emergency? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0258.1
2022 Capponi A, Lane SJ, Gilbert JS, Macfarlane DG, Robertson DA, James MR. A novel experimental chamber for the characterization of free-falling particles in volcanic plumes. Review of Scientific Instruments, DOI: 10.1063/5.0093730