Performance Assessment of Two Low-Cost PM and PM Monitoring Networks in the Padana Plain (Italy).

Two low-cost (LC) monitoring networks, PurpleAir (instrumented by Plantower PMS5003 sensors) and AirQino (Novasense SDS011), were assessed in monitoring PM and PM daily concentrations in the Padana Plain (Northern Italy). A total of 19 LC stations for PM and 20 for PM concentrations were compared vs. regulatory-grade stations during a full "heating season" (15 October 2022-15 April 2023).

Kiwi 4.0: In Vivo Real-Time Monitoring to Improve Water Use Efficiency in Yellow Flesh .

This manuscript reports the application of sensors for water use efficiency with a focus on the application of an in vivo OECT biosensor. In two distinct experimental trials, the in vivo sensor bioristor was applied in yellow kiwi plants to monitor, in real-time and continuously, the changes in the composition and concentration of the plant sap in an open field during plant growth and development. The bioristor response and physiological data, together with other fruit sensor monitoring data, were acquired and combined in both trials, giving a complete picture of the biosphere conditions.

A Novel Correction Methodology to Improve the Performance of a Low-Cost Hyperspectral Portable Snapshot Camera.

The development of spectral sensors (SSs) capable of retrieving spectral information have opened new opportunities to improve several environmental and agricultural practices, e.g., crop breeding, plant phenotyping, land use monitoring, and crop classification.

Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging to Detect Drought Stress in High-Throughput Phenotyping.

Recent developments in low-cost imaging hyperspectral cameras have opened up new possibilities for high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), allowing for high-resolution spectral data to be obtained in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. This study presents, for the first time, the integration of a low-cost hyperspectral camera Senop HSC-2 into an HTP platform to evaluate the drought stress resistance and physiological response of four tomato genotypes (770P, 990P, Red Setter and Torremaggiore) during two cycles of well-watered and deficit irrigation. Over 120 gigabytes of hyperspectral data were collected, and an innovative segmentation method able to reduce the hyperspectral dataset by 85.

Pan-Arctic soil moisture control on tundra carbon sequestration and plant productivity.

Long-term atmospheric CO concentration records have suggested a reduction in the positive effect of warming on high-latitude carbon uptake since the 1990s. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the reduced net carbon sink of northern ecosystems with increased air temperature, including water stress on vegetation and increased respiration over recent decades. However, the lack of consistent long-term carbon flux and in situ soil moisture data has severely limited our ability to identify the mechanisms responsible for the recent reduced carbon sink strength.

Real-time air concentrations and turbulent fluxes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over historic closed landfills to assess their potential environmental impact.

For the first time, emission/deposition fluxes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and HS from a historic closed landfill site in Southern Italy were determined by Eddy Covariance (EC) using Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS). This was done in two field campaigns of one week performed in July and October 2016, where fluxes of CO and CH were also measured. Many compounds not previously identified in the biogas were detected by PTR-TOF-MS, but only in July some of them produced positive fluxes exceeding the flux limit of detection.

A Novel Hyperspectral Method to Detect Moldy Core in Apple Fruits.

An innovative low-cost device based on hyperspectral spectroscopy in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region is proposed for the non-invasive detection of moldy core (MC) in apples. The system, based on light collection by an integrating sphere, was tested on 70 apples cultivar (cv) Golden Delicious infected by , one of the main pathogens responsible for MC disease. Apples were sampled in vertical and horizontal positions during five measurement rounds in 13 days' time, and 700 spectral signatures were collected.

Direct observations of CO emission reductions due to COVID-19 lockdown across European urban districts.

The measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 included restrictions of people's mobility and reductions in economic activities. These drastic changes in daily life, enforced through national lockdowns, led to abrupt reductions of anthropogenic CO emissions in urbanized areas all over the world. To examine the effect of social restrictions on local emissions of CO, we analysed district level CO fluxes measured by the eddy-covariance technique from 13 stations in 11 European cities.

Unveiling the changes in urban atmospheric CO in the time of COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Florence (Italy).

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by global mobility restrictions and slowdown in manufacturing activities. Accordingly, cities experienced a significant decrease of CO emissions. In this study, continuous measurements of CO fluxes, atmospheric CO concentrations and δC-CO values were performed in the historical center of Florence (Italy) before, during and after the almost two-month long national lockdown.

Temperature thresholds of ecosystem respiration at a global scale.

Ecosystem respiration is a major component of the global terrestrial carbon cycle and is strongly influenced by temperature. The global extent of the temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship, however, has not been fully explored. Here, we test linear and threshold models of ecosystem respiration across 210 globally distributed eddy covariance sites over an extensive temperature range.

The role of emissions and meteorology in driving CO concentrations in urban areas.

A multi-year dataset of measurements of CO concentrations, eddy covariance fluxes, and meteorological parameters over the city centre of Florence (Italy) has been analysed to assess the role of anthropogenic emissions and meteorology in controlling urban CO concentrations. The latter exhibited a negative correlation with air temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and sensible heat flux and a positive one with relative humidity and emissions. A linear and an artificial neural network (ANN) model have been developed and validated for short-term modelling of 3-h CO concentrations.

Quantifying road traffic impact on air quality in urban areas: A Covid19-induced lockdown analysis in Italy.

Covid19-induced lockdown measures caused modifications in atmospheric pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. Urban road traffic was the most impacted, with 48-60% average reduction in Italy. This offered an unprecedented opportunity to assess how a prolonged (∼2 months) and remarkable abatement of traffic emissions impacted on urban air quality.

Long-Term Performance Assessment of Low-Cost Atmospheric Sensors in the Arctic Environment.

The Arctic is an important natural laboratory that is extremely sensitive to climatic changes and its monitoring is, therefore, of great importance. Due to the environmental extremes it is often hard to deploy sensors and observations are limited to a few sparse observation points limiting the spatial and temporal coverage of the Arctic measurement. Given these constraints the possibility of deploying a rugged network of low-cost sensors remains an interesting and convenient option.

Development of Low-Cost Air Quality Stations for Next Generation Monitoring Networks: Calibration and Validation of PM and PM Sensors.

A low-cost air quality station has been developed for real-time monitoring of main atmospheric pollutants. Sensors for CO, CO₂, NO₂, O₃, VOC, PM and PM were integrated on an Arduino Shield compatible board. As concerns PM and PM sensors, the station underwent a laboratory calibration and later a field validation.

Industrial point source CO emission strength estimation with aircraft measurements and dispersion modelling.

CO remains the greenhouse gas that contributes most to anthropogenic global warming, and the evaluation of its emissions is of major interest to both research and regulatory purposes. Emission inventories generally provide quite reliable estimates of CO emissions. However, because of intrinsic uncertainties associated with these estimates, it is of great importance to validate emission inventories against independent estimates.

Cold season emissions dominate the Arctic tundra methane budget.

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are major global sources of methane (CH4); hence, it is important to understand the seasonal and climatic controls on CH4 emissions from these systems. Here, we report year-round CH4 emissions from Alaskan Arctic tundra eddy flux sites and regional fluxes derived from aircraft data. We find that emissions during the cold season (September to May) account for ≥ 50% of the annual CH4 flux, with the highest emissions from noninundated upland tundra.

Rapid leaf development drives the seasonal pattern of volatile organic compound (VOC) fluxes in a 'coppiced' bioenergy poplar plantation.

Leaves of fast-growing, woody bioenergy crops often emit volatile organic compounds (VOC). Some reactive VOC (especially isoprene) play a key role in climate forcing and may negatively affect local air quality. We monitored the seasonal exchange of VOC using the eddy covariance technique in a 'coppiced' poplar plantation.

Influence of road traffic, residential heating and meteorological conditions on PM10 concentrations during air pollution critical episodes.

The importance of road traffic, residential heating and meteorological conditions as major drivers of urban PM10 concentrations during air pollution critical episodes has been assessed in the city of Florence (Italy) during the winter season. The most significant meteorological variables (wind speed and atmospheric stability) explained 80.5-85.

Urban-hazard risk analysis: mapping of heat-related risks in the elderly in major Italian cities.

Background: Short-term impacts of high temperatures on the elderly are well known. Even though Italy has the highest proportion of elderly citizens in Europe, there is a lack of information on spatial heat-related elderly risks.

Objectives: Development of high-resolution, heat-related urban risk maps regarding the elderly population (≥ 65).