Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2020.

Dear Colleagues,

Despite significant advancement in the mitigation of atmospheric emissions of quite all anthropogenic activities, air quality is still a key environmental concern in the most urban agglomerations in the world. Generally, the scientific and technological community is still not able to give to the public authorities efficient tools to manage air pollution and to plan effective intervention policies.

In this global scenario, the Mediterranean area is not an exception, but with some important peculiarities.

The urban canopies of most historical centers in the Mediterranean area are characterized by the presence of deep street canyons where pollutants can accumulate due to an ineffective mass exchange with the above atmosphere. Road transport is generally the main way used to move both persons and goods. Moreover, the vehicular fleet is still quite old. The high population density increases the sanitary risk due to the low air quality generally observed. The tremendous cultural heritage present is jeopardized by atmospheric pollution and requires special attention to be preserved. The activities connected with tourism can increase atmospheric emissions significantly inside historical centers. With around 46,000 kilometers of coastline, emissions from ship traffic play an important role in determining air quality mostly in port cities.

For all these reasons, Mediterranean urban agglomerations are a very interesting case study to develop effective policies of environmental sustainability with respect to air quality.

All the above reported environmental forcers cannot be faced separately but would be framed in a sustainable development scenario. Therefore, we invite colleagues of different areas: environmental chemistry and engineering, medicine, urban planning, environmental legislation, and public administration to submit papers.

The goal of this Special Issue is to take a step ahead in the knowledge of the present status of air quality in the Mediterranean area, the main causes of the air pollutant levels observed, the assessment of the impact, and the possible solutions to take. Special attention will be given to assessment of traffic, ships and biomass combustion emissions, pervasive monitoring, local and urban scale air quality modelling, receptor models, assessment of the impact on human health and artistic artefacts, policies of mitigation, and indications for a sustainable development.

Prof. Fabio Murena
Prof. Pietro Salizzoni
Guest Editors