Haze hangs over the Po Valley of northern Italy, hemmed in between the Alps to the north and the Apennines to the southeast. It also spreads southeastward past the Po Delta, and then frames Italy's Adriatic Coast, reaching southward to the shoreline of the Apulia Region.
The source of the haze could be fires, fog, or smog and air pollution. Air pollution is one important factor in climate change in Italy. Air pollutants arise from biomass burning, urban-industrial and natural sources. Under certain atmospheric circulation configurations, long-range or trans-boundary transport of pollutants, including aerosols, carbon monoxide, ozone, desert dust, mould spores and pesticide may occur over large distances and over time scales of typically four to six days (click here for more information).
A thick fog hangs over the valley of the River Po, in northern Italy, between the snow-capped peaks of the Alps (above) and the white peaks of the Apennines (below). The fog has a clear patch towards the center of the valley, south of Lake Garda, and by the Po Delta, south of Venice.
Some snow is still visible atop the Alps in this image of Europe, taken on the first day of the northern hemisphere summer. The Apennines, running down the center of the Italian Peninsula, however, appear snow-free.
To the east of the peninsula is the Adriatic Sea, with numerous Croatian islands lining its eastern shores. Some sediments can be seen entering its northern part, by the delta of the River Po. Northwest of the delta, is Lake Garda, at the foot of the Alps.
Green sediments line Italy's Adriatic coastline, from the mouth of the River Po (above) to the Gargano Peninsula (below).
The Croatian coastline, on the opposite side of the sea, appears mostly sediment-free, as does Italy's Tyrrhenian coast to the west.