Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
Environment: From Copernicus new tools to monitor air quality in Italy
New high-resolution air quality monitoring and forecasting tools are being developed thanks to the European Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service [1] (CAMS) program, which aims at extending and ameliorating local services as part of the project CAMS2_72IT_bis [2],
conducted jointly with ENEA, Ispra (coordinator), CNR-Isac, University of Tor Vergata, Italian Consortium of Copernicus Academy and 8 ARPA - Regional Agencies for Environmental Protection (Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Campania, Liguria, Piedmont, Veneto, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta).
CAMS already offers several advanced tools for atmospheric quality monitoring and management including daily forecasts of up to five days of greenhouse gases, ozone, aerosols, and other air pollutants; monitoring of greenhouse gases, including CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide, to analyse their global concentration trends; atmospheric reanalyses, which provide time data series by combining observations and models, ideal for long-term studies of changing atmospheric conditions; aerosol monitoring, with information on natural dust (such as Saharan dust), anthropogenic aerosols and volcanic ash, also useful for air transport management; stratosphere and ozone monitoring to detect the ozone hole and monitor global UV radiation; analysis of global pollution events like forest fires, dust transport and volcanic emissions, which affect air quality on a large scale.
“CAMS is a reference point for monitoring greenhouse gases and aerosols (like PM, pollen and Saharan dust) at the global and European level; by combining satellite data and atmospheric models, it provides key tools to address pollution and climate change challenges,” explained Antonio Piersanti, head of the ENEA Models and Measurements for Air Quality and Climate Observations Laboratory.
“Over the next three years, we will work to 'adapt' (in technical jargon downscaling) the air quality services provided by the Copernicus system to national, regional, and local levels. This means that the data and forecasts of air pollutant concentrations developed so far on a global and European scale will be specific for our country and made accessible to local administrations for them to make more informed decisions for pollution monitoring and management, urban planning and implementation of emission reduction policies, with the overall aim of protecting citizens' health and complying with environmental regulations,” said Massimo D'Isidoro, project scientific manager for ENEA.
In detail, ENEA researchers will conduct downscaling of pollutant concentration fields using the ENEA air quality forecasting model FORAIR-IT [3] , which will operate in parallel with the corresponding forecasting systems of ARPA Emilia-Romagna (kAIROS) and CNR-ISAC (CHIMBO). To enhance the collaboration among the institutions operating the forecasting tools, the three national modeling systems will provide the concentration fields to the ARPAs of Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Umbria and Veneto to perform higher-resolution forecasts on their territories and evaluate their potential compared to the systems currently applied by the ARPAs. ENEA researchers will also study Saharan dust intrusion in Italy, a phenomenon that can significantly affect air quality. The activities will concentrate on comparing observed data on the ground with model predictions and applying a new method for detecting Saharan dust intrusion events, through the combined use of models and observations. ENEA also works with the European program CAMS in the CAMS2_40 - Regional Air Quality Forecast project, the only Italian partner in the consortium of 11 air quality forecast models over Europe.
Notes
[1] CAMS provides high-precision data to address Europe's specific environmental needs, including: regional air quality forecasts for the whole of Europe, with detailed forecasts of up to four days for pollutants like PM2. 5, PM10, NO₂ and O₃; historical air quality reanalyses, with high-resolution data for retrospective analysis and long-term trends; exposure maps to visualize the impact of air pollution on human health; critical episode monitoring, with detailed analyses of significant events like smog episodes or high particulate matter concentrations; emission inventories, which provide data on the main sources of pollution in Europe, including traffic, industry, and domestic heating; support for the European legislation, with tools to check compliance with EU directives on air quality like Directive 2008/50/EC and Directive 2024/2881, adopted in November 2024.
[2] The project CAMS2_72IT_bis keeps on the activities initiated during CAMS2_72IT, part of the National Collaboration Program (NCP) of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS).
[3] FORAIR - IT produces daily air quality forecasts for the entire Italian territory, with a horizontal spatial resolution of 4 km for every hour of the following 3 days. To know in advance atmospheric concentrations of pollutants harmful to human health (fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ozone).