Drone Air Quality Measurements in the French Alps: AtmoSud Winter and Summer Campaigns
How can air quality be measured in Alpine valleys, from villages to mountain peaks? This is one of the challenges studied by AtmoSud as part of the European ALP’AERA project.
In 2026, Drone-Pictures accompanied AtmoSud during two measurement campaigns in the French Alps. The first took place in late March in the Briançonnais area, under conditions that were still strongly influenced by winter. The second was carried out in late July at Col du Granon, during a period of intense summer heat.
Two seasons, two environments and different atmospheric issues: particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃).
To carry out these measurements, AtmoSud used the MobileAir system developed by AirCarto, installed successively on an electric vehicle and on a specially adapted DJI Inspire 2 capable of carrying it. Weighing approximately 500 grams, MobileAir made it possible to explore the atmosphere both from the road and from the air.
For Drone-Pictures, these campaigns were also an opportunity to produce two video reports documenting the scientific operations in the field.
Video: Air quality monitoring campaign at the Col de Granon, late July 2026, as part of the ALP’AERA project for AtmoSud
ALP’AERA: better understanding air quality in the Alps
Alpine valleys are particularly interesting environments for studying air quality.
The terrain has a strong influence on air circulation. Valleys can promote the accumulation or transport of certain pollutants, while weather conditions, temperature, wind and solar radiation affect their dispersion and transformation in the atmosphere.
The ALP’AERA project focuses specifically on these interactions between air quality, climate, weather and topography.
This French-Italian programme, supported by the European Interreg VI-A France-Italia ALCOTRA 2021-2027 programme, brings together several organisations specialised in air quality monitoring on both sides of the Alps.
One of its objectives is to better characterise the distribution of pollutants in Alpine valleys and to develop new observation methods.
The campaigns combine different sources of data: fixed monitoring stations, mobile measurements, meteorological data, modelling, satellite observations and drone-based measurements.
This is the framework in which Drone-Pictures worked alongside the AtmoSud teams.
Why measure air quality with a drone?
A ground-based monitoring station provides highly precise information about the air at the location where it is installed. However, in a mountainous environment, conditions can be very different just a few hundred metres higher.
This is where the drone provides an additional dimension.
By carrying a sensor to different altitudes, it is possible to create vertical atmospheric profiles and observe how pollutant concentrations change with height.
This capability is particularly useful when studying thermal inversion phenomena.
In winter, for example, a layer of cold air can remain trapped at the bottom of a valley beneath warmer air. Vertical dispersion of pollutants can then be limited.
In summer, atmospheric mechanisms are different. Strong solar radiation and high temperatures can promote the photochemical reactions involved in ozone formation.
The drone therefore does not replace ground monitoring stations: it complements them by providing additional spatial and vertical information.
A measurement campaign on Alpine roads
Before taking to the air, an important part of the work carried out by AtmoSud takes place on the ground.
The MobileAir system from AirCarto was installed on an AtmoSud electric vehicle, with the sensor positioned at the top of a four-metre mast.
The vehicle then travelled several dozen kilometres along Alpine roads.
This configuration makes it possible to perform measurements while moving and to track changes in air quality along the route.
The routes included the area between Briançon and Montgenèvre, as well as several valleys, towns and villages.
The system could therefore move from valley floors to higher-altitude areas by following mountain roads.
This method provides a particularly valuable horizontal dimension to the campaign.
Instead of obtaining a single point measurement, the teams can observe how pollutant concentrations change as the vehicle moves through different locations, altitudes and environments.
From towns to mountain peaks
The value of these routes lies precisely in the ability to compare different environments.
MobileAir can measure air quality in urban areas, villages, along roads, in less urbanised valleys and progressively at much higher elevations.
The resulting data can then be compared with topography, weather conditions and the other measurements collected during the campaign.
The vehicle explores the valley, while the drone explores the air column.
This combination of mobile ground measurements and airborne measurements is one of the most interesting aspects of these campaigns.
AirCarto’s MobileAir system installed at the top of a 4-metre mast on AtmoSud’s electric vehicle. The system travelled several dozen kilometres through the Alpine valleys to measure air quality along the routes.
Late March: a winter campaign in the Briançonnais
Our first operation took place in late March 2026 in the Briançonnais area.
At that time of year, atmospheric conditions are still strongly influenced by winter. Low temperatures and residential heating can contribute to particulate matter concentrations in the valleys.
The measurements carried out by AtmoSud make it possible to study the distribution of these pollutants in an environment where topography plays a major role.
The MobileAir system was therefore used both on the roads and underneath our drone.
Video: Winter air quality monitoring campaign in the Brinançon area, late March 2026, as part of the ALP’AERA project for AtmoSud
A DJI Inspire 2 specially adapted for MobileAir
For the airborne measurements, Drone-Pictures used a DJI Inspire 2 specially adapted to carry the MobileAir system developed by AirCarto.
The approximately 500-gram sensor is mounted underneath the drone.
The Inspire 2 thus becomes a genuine airborne atmospheric measurement platform.
This configuration requires specific preparation: mechanical adaptation, consideration of payload weight and balance, checking flight endurance and planning flight paths.
The pilot must also take into account the particular conditions encountered in the mountains: terrain, wind, altitude and weather.
The objective is obviously not simply to carry out a visually impressive flight. The sensor must be positioned accurately so that the measurements collected can be properly used as part of the scientific campaign.
A winter campaign between the valley floor and higher altitudes
The value of the airborne system is its ability to complement measurements carried out from the road.
The vehicle is naturally constrained by the road network and accessible terrain. The drone, however, can leave the road network and perform vertical profiles above the areas being studied.
This provides two complementary types of information:
- mobile ground measurements collected over several dozen kilometres;
- airborne measurements allowing different altitudes to be explored.
Combining these two approaches helps provide a better understanding of the spatial distribution of air pollution in a particularly complex mountainous environment.
Late July: ozone during a heatwave
A few months later, the conditions had changed dramatically.
In late July 2026, we joined the AtmoSud teams again for a new campaign, this time at Col du Granon in the Hautes-Alpes.
We were in the middle of a period of intense summer heat.
One of the main objectives this time was to characterise the presence and distribution of ozone, while continuing to measure particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).
The contrast with the March campaign was particularly interesting.
Why is ozone particularly interesting in summer?
Tropospheric ozone is a specific type of air pollutant.
It is not directly emitted into the atmosphere in the same way as some pollutants produced by human activities. It is formed through chemical reactions involving different precursors under the influence of solar radiation.
Hot, sunny periods with relatively stable weather conditions are therefore particularly interesting for studying its formation and distribution.
Carrying out measurements during a heatwave makes it possible to observe the atmosphere under conditions that are particularly favourable to these photochemical processes.
At Col du Granon: measuring at altitude
At an altitude of around 2,400 metres, Col du Granon is a spectacular location for aerial filming, but above all an interesting site for atmospheric measurements.
The terrain makes it possible to explore different altitudes and study how pollutant concentrations change within the air column.
The drone equipped with MobileAir can perform profiles at different heights, while measurements from the vehicle help characterise variations at ground level and along the routes.
The summer campaign therefore makes it possible to investigate potential changes in O₃, NO₂ and particulate matter concentrations depending on altitude and location.
For the photographer and filmmaker, it is also an exceptional environment to document: mountain roads, valleys, peaks and the drone in flight provide images that show the real-world context in which these measurements are carried out.
One measurement system, two platforms
One of the distinctive features of this campaign is the complementarity of the two measurement platforms.
The AirCarto MobileAir system could be used:
On the road, installed four metres above the ground on the AtmoSud electric vehicle, to travel several dozen kilometres and characterise variations in air quality across the valleys.
In the air, installed underneath our specially adapted DJI Inspire 2, to perform measurements at different altitudes and complement the ground observations.
This combination makes it possible to change scale.
The vehicle allows the teams to travel across the territory.
The drone allows them to move upwards into the atmosphere.
And the data produced by both systems can be analysed together.
It is this multi-scale approach that gives the campaign much of its value.
An experience that extends our scientific work in Marseille
For Drone-Pictures, these Alpine missions also build on previous experience in environmental measurement operations using drones.
In 2019 and 2021, we took part in an international scientific campaign in Marseille dedicated to measuring atmospheric emissions from ships in the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille.
As part of the European SCIPPER project, our drone was equipped with a sensor designed to analyse ship emissions.
The principle was to position the drone directly inside a ship’s emission plume in order to carry out measurements.
The drone had to move according to the plume’s movement and wind conditions, positioning the instrument within the emissions.
This mission provided particularly valuable experience in using a drone as a carrier for scientific instrumentation, beyond its traditional role as an aerial imaging platform.
This earlier experience now finds a natural extension in the Alps.
In Marseille, our drone operated inside a ship’s emission plume.
In the Alps, it operates within the air column above the valleys.
In both cases, the drone makes it possible to move a scientific instrument through a three-dimensional environment that can be difficult to access using fixed measurement systems.
Filming science: making measurement campaigns visible
The assignment entrusted to Drone-Pictures by AtmoSud was not limited to airborne operations.
We also produced video reports of both campaigns to document the scientific operations and show the different stages of the work carried out in the field.
This is an important aspect of this type of project.
Behind every air quality measurement are teams, instruments, vehicles, sensors, flights and many hours of fieldwork.
Video makes this work visible.
Our footage shows in particular:
- equipment preparation;
- the AtmoSud vehicle equipped with MobileAir;
- travel along Alpine roads;
- measurement operations;
- the DJI Inspire 2 equipped with the sensor;
- flights above the valleys;
- the Alpine landscapes in which the campaigns take place;
- and the work of the scientific teams in the field.
The drone thus becomes both a measurement tool and a communication tool.
From valley to summit, from winter to heatwave
The two campaigns carried out in 2026 perfectly illustrate the value of a seasonal and multi-scale approach to air quality.
In late March in the Briançonnais, the measurements took place in the context of the end of winter and focused in particular on particulate matter and its distribution within the valleys.
In late July at Col du Granon, during a period of intense heat, the campaign focused in particular on ozone, while also monitoring particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide.
Between the two campaigns, the basic system remained the same: AirCarto’s MobileAir, installed either on an electric vehicle or underneath our specially adapted DJI Inspire 2.
The vehicle allows the teams to travel through the valleys.
The drone allows them to gain altitude.
Together, these systems contribute to building a much more complete picture of the Alpine atmosphere.
The drone: much more than a flying camera
These missions for AtmoSud illustrate an important evolution in professional drone applications.
A professional drone is not only used to produce aerial images.
It can also carry scientific instrumentation, follow a measurement protocol, perform vertical profiles, operate in difficult-to-access environments and contribute to the observation of environmental phenomena.
For Drone-Pictures, this scientific dimension is a natural extension of our audiovisual production activity and our many years of experience in professional aerial operations.
After placing a drone inside ship emission plumes in the port of Marseille in 2019 and 2021, we have now taken to the mountains to contribute to the study of air quality in the Alps.
From the sea to the mountains, from a ship’s emission plume to ozone concentrations within an air column, drones make it possible to observe our environment in places where traditional measurement systems cannot always go.
And thanks to the images produced during these campaigns, we can also tell the story of this science, show the work of the teams and give the public a better understanding of what actually happens behind an air quality measurement campaign.
