CeTrA 2024 Valle d’Aosta campaign successfully completed

A new aerosol sampling campaign has been successfully completed as part of a collaborative project involving the Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection (ARPA) of Valle d’Aosta, the National Research Council (CNR), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and the University of Turin, with support from the Centre for Trace Analysis (CeTrA) under the ITINERIS project. The primary objective of this campaign is to analyse the composition of atmospheric aerosols at three study sites in Valle d’Aosta, focusing on the transport of contaminants from valleys to mountaintops and their impact on alpine ecosystems.

High-volume PM10 samplers were installed at three study sites within the same geographical area in the Western Italian Alps, each located at a different altitude:

• Angelo Mosso Scientific Institute, Passo dei Salati (2,900 m a.s.l.)
• Testa Grigia Observatory, Plateau Rosa (3,500 m a.s.l.)
• Donnas (AO), situated on the valley floor

Additionally, aethalometers were installed at both Donnas and the Angelo Mosso Scientific Institute to investigate the optical properties of aerosols.

At the same time, a low-volume PM10 sampler was deployed at the Testa Grigia Observatory to initiate a year-round sampling campaign as part of a PhD project funded by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. This project aims to monitor aerosol composition, identify seasonal trends, distinguish inputs from local sources and medium- or long-range atmospheric transport, and assess regional differences in pollution sources by comparing results with a study site in the Eastern Italian Alps.