Epidemiological studies have shown that air quality is one of the most important environmental concerns for residents and city authorities. Most of the emissions occur in the lower atmosphere, where the increase in contamination is to be considered significantly greater. Air quality monitoring is influenced by the intrinsic heterogeneity of the urban landscape and by the overlapping of multiple polluting sources. The pollutants released into the atmosphere tend to be dispersed by the mechanical turbulence phenomena present in the air. Their dispersion depends on a combination of variables such as wind speed, air stratification, the topography of the emission zone, and the very temperature of the polluting hot gases. Furthermore, regardless of the regional or global scale of pollution, the impact of anthropogenic emissions on the urban atmosphere has become dramatically more pronounced.

The modeling methodology helped identify air pollution patterns and pathways that provide necessary spatial details and maximum concentrations of pollutants especially at greater distances from monitoring stations.

Anthropized areas are characterized by numerous pollutants emitted by anthropic sources both in the form of solid and gaseous particulates. The main sources of pollution can be mainly identified in vehicular traffic, domestic heating,  industrial realities, mining activities, and the possible presence of harbor.

The assessment of air pollution can also be carried out using biomonitoring methods, which in recent years have been receiving increasing favour, as it appears to be an easy, inexpensive and accesible appoach for the determination of atmospheric pollutans.

This special issue of the journal "Atmosphere" focuses on the current state of knowledge on the study of atmospheric pollution in anthropized areas, to determine the concentrations of the main pollutants, model their spatial distribution and identify their sources, measuring their concentration through the use of different methods.

New research papers, reviews are welcome to this issue.

Dr. Maria Grazia Alaimo
Prof. Dr. Daniela Varrica
Guest Editors

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• air quality
• metals and metalliods
• gaseous pollutant
• particulate matter
• biomonitoring
• modelling