Exhaust and non-exhaust contributions from road transport to PM at a Southern European traffic site.

It is a well - established fact that road traffic is one of the main contributors to ambient levels of airborne particulate matter (APM). This study was carried out at a traffic site in which the PM levels are monitored all year round. A trend analysis of these levels revealed that over a decade there was no discernible trend, with the PM concentrations normally hovering around the EU limit values.

A photometric mapping of the night sky brightness of the Maltese islands.

Over the years, the Maltese Islands have seen a marked rise in the prevalence of artificial lighting at night. The most evident type of light pollution arising from this evolution in anthropogenic night-time lighting is artificial skyglow via partial back-scattering in the atmosphere, leading to an increase in the Night Sky Brightness (NSB). The importance of understanding and quantifying the geographical distribution of the NSB is underscored by the adverse impact of light pollution on various spheres, from astronomical observation to ecology and human health.