• Main site - Napoli Department of Physics (UNINA): 40.838°N 14.183°E 118 m a.s.l.
• CeSMA (UNINA): 40.837°N 14.307°E 50 m a.s.l.

Observational platform

Italy

• University of Naples Federico II

• Salvatore Amoruso
  Facility PI
• Andrea Danna
  PI deputy
• Antonella Boselli
  PI deputy

The Naples remote sensing station, located in southern Italy (40.836842° N 14.306567° E, 50 m a. s. l.), is equipped with a dual-wavelength Raman lidar system operating at 355 and 532 and a co-located dual-polarization triple mode sun-sky-lunar photometer.
The region is subject to a complex mix of pollution sources. In summer, the area between Naples and Caserta—historically known as the "Land of Fires"—is heavily impacted by local wildfires. Additionally, the urban area is frequently affected by the long-range transport of natural particulate matter (such as Saharan dust, smoke from Canadian wildfires, and volcanic or marine aerosols) as well as anthropogenic plumes from the European continent. Finally, port and airport activities, both located near the urban center, significantly impact air quality.

The Naples site hosts an advanced observation station equipped with active and passive atmospheric remote sensing instruments—such as a Lidar, Photometer, and Ceilometer—alongside near-surface equipment, including an OPS, Nephelometer, and Aethalometer, for ground-level particulate matter characterization. This comprehensive co-location offers a promising approach to studying aerosol properties, thereby providing more accurate insights into atmospheric dynamics.

Effective air quality management in the metropolitan area of Naples requires near-real-time assessments of atmospheric emission impacts, the identification of pollution sources, and long-term analyses of aerosol optical and microphysical variability. Investigating their vertical and temporal evolution is essential to understanding both atmospheric physical processes and surface-level phenomena related to emission, evolution, and transport