Major research issues/sites:

The JRC runs one of only two stations in Italy that measure air pollution within the framework of the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe's European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (UNECE-EMEP).

Short technical description:

The JRC EMEP Monitoring Station monitors concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and secondary aerosol precursors (SO2, NOx) as well as particulate matter (PM). Daily aerosol samples are collected on quartz fibre filters to determine PM2.5 concentrations and chemical compositions. Weekly quartz samples are collected for the same analyses of PM10.

Rainwater samples are also collected to assess the aerosol-wet deposition. The aerosol measurement programme has been enhanced to turn the JRC-EMEP station into a super-station where all the parameters needed to understand the interplay of ozone and aerosol with solar radiation are measured. As such, aerosol size distribution (in the range 8 nm - 10 µm), and aerosol absorption and scattering coefficients are continuously monitored. Vertical profiling of aerosols is carried out using a LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging laser beam), and seasonal campaigns are conducted to determine aerosol hygroscopicity with an HTDMA (Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser). Other measurements using different types of filters or artifact-free samplers are carried out during specific periods to assess the validity of the EMEP-recommended sampling methods.