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Here, we report the chemical characterization and identification of the possible sources of particulate matter (fraction PM 10 ) at two different sites in Naples. PM 10 concentration and its chemical composition were studied using the crustal enrichment factor (EF) and principal component analysis (PCA). In all of the seasons, the PM10 levels, were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the urban-traffic site (denominated NA02) than in the urban-background site (denominated NA01). In order to reconstruct the particle mass, the components were classified into seven classes as follows: mineral dust (MD), trace elements (TE), organic matter (OM), elemental carbon (EC), sea salt (SS), secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) and undetermined parts (unknown (UNK)). According to the chemical mass closure obtained, the major contribution was OM, which was higher (p < 0.01) during summer than in other seasons. In both sites, a good correlation (R 2 > 0.8) was obtained between reconstructed mass and gravimetric mass. PCA analysis explained 76% and 79% of the variance in NA01 and NA02, respectively. The emission sources were the same for both sites; but, the location of the site, the different distances from the sources and the presence and absence of vegetation proved the different concentrations and compositions of PM 10 .

An assessment of O. ovata and O. cf. siamensis presence in some seawater samples and on macro algae was carried out in the Mediterranean Sea. The identification of taxa investigated was performed using traditional microscopic techniques and molecular tools, to evaluate the distribution area of these species too. Ostreopsis includes epiphytic/benthonic microalgae known for their production of toxic compounds that can cause biopoisoning. Microscopic analysis reveal that the presence of Ostreopsis spp. and O. ovata in macroalgal samples is greater than in water ones. In a greater number of samples, through molecular analysis the presence of investigated species has been detected, in comparison to the previous results of microscopic analysis. They also allowed identifying Ostreopsis spp and O. ovata species even in those samples in which microscopic analysis hasn't detected any cells, probably because it's beneath the detection limit of method. However for environmental monitoring the microscopic analysis have proved useful to detect the presence with high-precision of these species in a marine environment and to monitor their proliferation in time while molecular approach could be expensive, difficult to apply and inaccurate first of all because of the impossibility to distinguish live cells from dead cells.