MODIS multiannual observations in support of air quality monitoring in Northern Italy

Aerosol satellite remote sensing can be profitably exploited in Air Quality monitoring in order to estimate the particulate matter concentration (PM) at surface level. Actually, the satellite sensor synoptic view enables monitoring of PM concentration spatial distribution fostering the analysis of the compliance with the new European Commission (EC) Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. In this work MODIS level 2 aerosol data are employed in a semi-empirical approach to estimate daily PM2.5 concentration at the ground over Northern Italy from 2004 to 2008. A further analysis, aimed at providing MODIS-based maps of yearly percentage of days exceeding the PM2.5 daily concentration limit prescribed by EC directive is then presented giving very promising results.