2024 Report

The mission of the European Commission Atmospheric Observatory is to benchmark the impact of European policies and international conventions on air pollution and climate forcing at two critical locations. At the JRC-Ispra site in northern Italy (one of the most polluted regions in Europe), we measure greenhouse gas concentrations (CO2, CH4), radon (222Rn) activity, short-lived gaseous and particulate pollutant concentrations (CO, SO2, NO, NO2, O3, hydrocarbons, NH3, PM2.5 and its main ionic and carbonaceous constituents), atmospheric particle micro-physical characteristics (number concentration and size distribution) and optical properties (light scattering absorption and extinction coefficients in-situ, light scattering and extinction vertical profiles remotely), and eutrophying and acidifying species (sulphate, nitrate, ammonium) wet deposition. Vegetation - atmosphere exchanges (CO2, H2O and heat) are measured at our Mediterranean Forest Flux Station of San Rossore (climate sensitive ecosystem), backed up by meteorological and pedological measurements. Measurements data can be downloaded from the JRC Data Catalogue or international open access data banks. Several pollutants approached or reached record-low concentrations at the JRC-Ispra site in 2024, possibly due to large rainfalls, while high O3 concentrations were still observed. Greenhouse gas concentration measurements indicate that in Ispra CO₂ annual growth rate rose to 4.8 ppm/year in 2024, compared with an average growth rate of 1.95 ppm/year over the period 2017–2023. Preliminary data from San Rossore suggest that the Mediterranean pine tree forest was a larger net sink for CO2 in 2024 compared to previous years, due to water abundance.

PUTAUD Jean-Philippe;  ARRIGA Nicola;  BARBIERE Maurizio Giuseppe;  BOROWIAK Annette;  CASTAÑO VA Fernando;  CAVALLI Fabrizia;  DELL'ACQUA Alessandro;  DUERR Marlene;  FACHERIS Giacomo;  MANCA Giovanni;  MATTEUCCI Marco;  MATTEUCCI Maurizio;  SEGATO Delia;  TARRICONE Claudia; 

2026-04-21

Publications Office of the European Union

JRC145229

978-92-68-37743-7 (online),   

1831-9424 (online),   

EUR 40646,    OP KJ-01-26-077-EN-N (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC145229,   

10.2760/0269686 (online),