Measurement and Modeling of Ground-Level Ozone Concentration in Catania, Italy using Biophysical Remote Sensing and GIS

This experimental study examined spatial variation of ground level ozone (O3) in the city of Catania, Italy using thirty passive samplers deployed in a 500-m grid pattern. Significant spatial variation in ground level O3 concentrations (ranging from 12.8 to 41.7 g/m3) was detected across Catania’s urban core and periphery. Biophysical measures derived from satellite imagery and built environment characteristics from GIS were evaluated as correlates of O3 concentrations. A land use regression model based on four variables (land surface temperature, building area, residential street length, and distance to the coast) explained 74% of the variance (adjusted R2) in measured O3. The results of the study suggest that biophysical remote sensing variables are worth further investigation as predictors of ground level O3 (and potentially other air pollutants) because they provide objective measurements that can be tested across multiple locations and over time

Comparative Analyses of Urban Air Quality Monitoring Systems: Passive Sampling and Continuous Monitoring Stations

Abstract Indicative methods of measurement are an economical and efficient way of preliminarily evaluating urban air quality. In November and December 2012, there was a campaign to measure NO2, C6H6 and O3 around the city of Catania (Italy) using diffusive samplers (Passam model). Placing the samplers at the fixed sampling sites of the city's monitoring network allowed for a comparison of the concentration values measured by continuous samplers (reference method) with those obtained from passive samplers. For the comparison, the time data of the continuous samplers were mediated as a function of the number of hours of diffusive sampler exposure. With the help of meteorological data from the Sicilian Information Agrometeorological Service (SIAS), it was possible to verify and evaluate any uncertainties associated with the passive samples, since the sample amounts are a function of meteorological variables given they are collected by diffusion. Finally, a statistical analysis based on linear regression highlighted a good correlation between the passive samplers and the fixed monitoring stations

Analysis of Vertical Profile of Particulates Dispersion in Function of the Aerodynamic Diameter at a Congested Road in Catania

Abstract During last decades the aerosol concentrations have increased causing a further restriction of current regulations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that the impact of aerosol air pollution to health, especially for PM10 and PM2.5, constitutes one of the main preoccupations in terms of the interaction health-environment. Since last report about air quality in Europe, published by European Environment Agency (EEA), it is evident that the 90% of citizens of European citiesis exposed to very dangerous pollution levels and, furthermore, it has been estimated that between 2009 and 2011 the 96% of population of main European cities was subjected to aerosol levels greater than the limits imposed by WHO. One of the main tasks of UE, within 2020, is aiming at reducing the pollution with a consequent improvement of its effects to health. In this work it was analyzed experimentally the distribution of aerosol particles in function of the sampling height and the aerodynamic diameters of particles. There were used portable samplers. The experimental campaign was conduced during rush hours in a high congested road of Catania at three different heights. Thanks to analysis of variance (ANOVA) it was possible to verify the interaction between the aerodynamic diameter of particles and the considered sampling heights

Analysis of the Covenant of Mayors Initiative in Sicily

Abstract In the European scene a breakthrough in the field of environmental sustainability is represented by the innovative model of multi-level governance, introduced by European Community in 2008, well known as the "Covenant of Mayors". It is an initiative that involves countries, cities and regions that voluntarily commit to reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases, through the so-called "20-20-20", that is to reduce by 2020 the 20% of CO2, generating 20% of energy from renewable sources with a reduction of the 20% of energy consumption. The aim of the initiative is to provide a practical tool in order to guide municipalities in the process of drafting a SEAP (Sustainable Energy Action Plan) according to the European Guidelines drawn up by the Covenant of Mayors Office (Co.MO). Since 2012 the new regional government of Sicily has followed carefully the initiative "Covenant of Mayors" by establishing a technical, scientific and organizational structure called "Control room for the Covenant of Mayors". The Control room has been as promoter of cultural activities with information and educational purpose, organizing and following meetings with many delegates of all municipalities in Sicily. This path led to a full participation of many Sicilian municipalities, recovering the previous gap during the early years of the initiative. In this analysis, a general overview about the participation of all regions of Italy is exposed, focusing the attention on on the virtuous path undertaken by the Region of Sicily. A more accurate statistical analysis by using several indexes has been conducted to better understand the strengths and weakness of this initiative

placement optimization of biodiesel production plant by means of centroid mathematical method

Abstract The uncertainty about the world energy production, the lack of crude oil reserves, the environmental problems caused by a massive use of fossil fuels and their increased prices, are the main reasons inducing modern society to find alternative solutions for fuels production. According to this point of view, a great attention is addressed to the biodiesel production as substitute of diesel derived by fossil hydrocarbons. The use of biomasses from different sources for the energy production constitutes one of the main objects thanks to which European Community intends to reduce its dependence from oil importations and derived products over the medium to longer term. Several sources can be used for biodiesel production, among these Brassica carinata and Brassica napus are considered as possible dedicated energy crops. The present work is based on the implementation of a model that allows to analyze the insertion of agro-energetic farms, identifying and evaluating the crops previously mentioned, economically suitable to enter in rotation with cereals and legumes. Through the analysis of official statistical data and cereals and legumes production, an estimation of potential biodiesel production in relation with the considered territory chosen as case study. It was implemented a model based on a procedure of logistics and distribution management in Matlab and in a Gis environment in order to find the best location for a potential production plant. The model considered some collection points of crops according the administrative units of the territory of reference. Moreover, for the same territory, thanks to some simulations it was calculated how the potential biodiesel production could affect fuels consumption and the potential reduction of the amount of CO2 in the environment

Air quality data for Catania: analysis and investigation case study: 2010-2011

Abstract This paper focuses on the principal atmospheric pollutants monitored in Catania (Italy) according to European Directive 50/2008. A couple of years, 2012 and 2013 have been considered as a study period. The monitoring system of Catania is made up of five stations that control the presence of the air pollutants in the most important anthropic areas of the urban territory. First of all the mechanisms of formation of the main pollutants have been summarized in order to identify the main causes and effects in urban environment. The raw data have been collected and validated according the UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 by the Ecologic and Environmental research unit of the municipality of Catania. The trend of all pollutants during the two cited years have been investigated and the results highlight that the most principal polluting gas is NO 2 confirming the trend of the previous years. A further analysis of what the principal causes of pollution in Catania could be,has been conducted in order to evaluate possible actions to reduce the atmospheric pollution. As a result it has been demonstrated that the principal cause of the atmospheric pollutant emissions is connected to private urban mobility. The experimental results demostrated that the principal cause of the atmospheric pollutant emissions is connected to private urban mobility. A development of realistic mathematical model will be the object of future research works

On the origin and propagation of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Italian Province of Trento, a tourist region of Northern Italy

15openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorBackground: Trentino is an Italian province with a tourism-based economy, bordering the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, where the two earliest and largest outbreaks of COVID-19 occurred in Italy. The earliest cases in Trentino were reported in the first week of March 2020, with most of the cases occurring in the winter sport areas in the Dolomites mountain range. The number of reported cases decreased over the summer months and was followed by a second wave in the autumn and winter of 2020. Methods: we performed high-coverage Oxford Nanopore sequencing of 253 positive SARS-CoV-2 swabs collected in Trentino between March and December 2020. Results: in this work, we analyzed genome sequences to trace the routes through which the virus entered the area, and assessed whether the autumnal resurgence could be attributed to lineages persisting undetected during summer, or as a consequence of new introductions. Conclusions: Comparing the draft genomes analyzed with a large selection of European sequences retrieved from GISAID we found that multiple introductions of the virus occurred at the early stage of the epidemics; the two epidemic waves were unrelated; the second wave was due to reintroductions of the virus in summer when traveling restrictions were upliftedopenBianco, Luca; Moser, Mirko; Silverj, Andrea; Micheletti, Diego; Lorenzin, Giovanni; Collini, Lucia; Barbareschi, Mattia; Lanzafame, Paolo; Segata, Nicola; Pindo, Massimo; Franceschi, Pietro; Rota-Stabelli, Omar; Rizzoli, Annapaola; Fontana, Paolo; Donati, ClaudioBianco, L.; Moser, M.; Silverj, A.; Micheletti, D.; Lorenzin, G.; Collini, L.; Barbareschi, M.; Lanzafame, P.; Segata, N.; Pindo, M.; Franceschi, P.; Rota-Stabelli, O.; Rizzoli, A.; Fontana, P.; Donati, C