Environment: ENEA expands air quality monitoring in lakes and forests

Four years of fieldwork was subsequently subjected to state-of-the-art scientific assessments, such as environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, in the laboratories of ENEA Research Centres and other Italian partners, including the National Research Council (CNR), the National Research Centre for Agricultural and Food Research and Economics (CREA), the Universities of Florence and Camerino, the environmental organisation Legambiente, and TerraData Environmetrics, a University of Siena spin-off.

These activities were conducted to meet the requirements of the European NEC (National Emission Ceilings) Directive 2016/2284, which includes monitoring the effects of pollution on ecosystems among the tools for reducing pollutant emissions. The structure and operation of the Italian NEC Network has expanded; before the project began, six forest sites and four freshwater sites were monitored, whereas now the number has increased to ten in each category, distributed across various Italian regions — from Mediterranean forests to Alpine lakes ^[1].

The 18 new environmental indicators have improved our understanding of the damage caused to soils, animals, plants and biodiversity by ozone, nitrogen oxides and ammonia. Notably, monitoring visibility to assess the impact of air pollution is one of these indicators and is also the focus of another project, 'Visibility', which is coordinated by CUFAA and again involves ENEA.

‘Some of these indicators use cutting-edge techniques, such as eDNA analysis. This makes it possible to detect species that are not easily observable, or that leave genetic traces in the environment without necessarily being seen. This provides an additional level of biological information that can help us in understanding the state of ecosystem biodiversity and related changes in response to air pollution,” explains Alessandra De Marco, ENEA project manager for LIFE MODERn (NEC) and Head of the ENEA Laboratory on Impacts on Territory and Developing Countries within the Department of Sustainability, Circularity and Climate Change Adaptation of Production and Territorial Systems.

Between innovative methodologies developed within the project bioacoustics — monitoring wildlife through environmental sounds — and leaf chemistry were included, which provides information on the nutritional, physiological and environmental status of plants, as well as the impact of air pollutants and climate change.

‘In forest monitoring, it is essential to measure the biological communities present in the soil, such as bacteria, fungi and fauna, as these are affected more rapidly by external changes than parameters such as the amount of carbon stored,’ adds De Marco.

The monitoring revealed both critical issues and improvements. For instance, nitrogen concentrations in the Po Valley remain high and ozone damage is evident in many areas. On the other hand, significant reductions in sulphur deposition and the excellent biological quality of forest soils were recorded, leading to forest growth and greater climate change mitigation.

To ensure that the project's findings are used to improve Italian and European environmental policies, a permanent technical working group has been established involving the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, as well as the relevant research bodies.

In addition, LIFE MODERn (NEC) has focused on training public operators, particularly the Forestry Corps of the Carabinieri, as well as on outreach activities.

To raise awareness of air quality issues among schools, the 'Diamoci delle Arie' competition was organised for primary and lower secondary schools.

"At a time when Italy is still far from meeting European air quality targets and many ecosystems are suffering due to climate change, this project represents a concrete and innovative response, creating a living network to help to protect the environment and human health," concludes De Marco.