Transport of volcanic aerosol in the troposphere: the case study of the 2002 Etna plume

We present some preliminary results from an integrated observations and modelling approach to the study of the time and space evolution of the atmospheric composition. In this case. we focus on the increased load of aerosol due to the emission of the Etna volcano which occurred in October and November 2002. Extensive lidar measurements performed during a specific campaign, AVHRR satellite images and numerical simulations performed using the BOlogna Local Area Model (BOLAM) allow to follow the evolution of the aerosol load over southern Italy and to detect some relevant characteristics of the phenomenon.