File:Air quality in Northern Italy on 1 March 2021.jpg

English: Saharan dust intrusions and an anomalously high atmospheric pressure recorded in the last days of February 2021 have caused a widespread deterioration of air quality in Europe. This image, acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P Satellite on 1 March 2021, shows the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in Northern Italy. The region, because of its orography (the Alps blocking surface atmospheric circulation), has been particularly affected by this dangerous pollutant which is released during fuel combustion. On the day of acquisition of the Copernicus data used to generate this image, extraordinary measures to improve air quality have been imposed by the regional Po Basin Project (Progetto Bacino Padano). These measures include restrictions on the use of vehicles that produce a high degree of pollution and limits on average household temperatures, as well as a ban on the distribution of nitrogenous compounds and the burning of organic material for agricultural purposes. The Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission is the first Copernicus mission dedicated to monitoring the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. Its main objective is to perform measurements of air quality, climate forcing, UV radiation and ozone concentration with a high spatio-temporal resolution. Its main objective is to perform measurements of pollutants which affect air quality (NO₂, CO, Aerosols, Ozone, SO₂, Formaldehyde, Methane) and climate forcing, with a high spatio-temporal resolution.