Urban impacts on air quality observed with remote sensing and ground station data from the PO plain field campaign

The Po Plain area is one of the most urbanized and polluted regions in Europe, with the city of Milan being a major “hot spot” of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in the world. The Po Plain Experiment Field Campaign has been carried out to identify and understand impacts of urban characteristics on the environment across the Po Plain in Northern Italy. Air quality is investigated with both remote sensing and ground station data. Preliminary results show a moderate correlation between satellite observations and ground-based measurements, highlighting the close relationship between the urban pattern and the distribution of NO₂ all over the region.