ACTRIS Marketplace

The service consists of:

- Physical, remote and hybrid access to the MAC facility

- possibility to perform 6 -8 hr experiments in the simulation chamber

- technical service to use own instruments

- training for planning, evaluation and interpretation of experiments.

- training with state of the art instrumentation connected to MAC 

- training in design and performance of chamber experiments by experienced scientists

MAC is a custom-built atmospheric simulation chamber designed for investigating atmospheric processes, testing new atmospheric measurement techniques and investigating the potential climate and health impacts of pollutants. The chamber is a 18 m3 collapsible cuboid (3 m long × 2 m wide × 3 m high) made of FEP Teflon foil, supported by a central fixed frame and counter-weighted upper and lower frames, surrounded by an air-conditioned housing. A suite of arc, halogen and uv mercury lamps provides simulated solar irradiation. A gas flow control system provides automated filling and flushing of the chamber with purified dry air and numerous ports allow addition and sampling of gases and particles, with bespoke manifolds allowing ready adaptation of instrument and device connection.

The facility has a wide range of ancillary components for injection of pollutants, including electropneumatically valve-controlled large-bore inlets for real pollutant sources (wood-burning stove, Euro 6 engine dynamometer, cooking chamber etc…). 

The chamber can be connected to a variety of devices for investigation of health impacts, including cell exposures (using an air-liquid interface system) and human exposures under clinical trial conditions.

The facility is equipped with a comprehensive range of instruments including:

i)  number of single- and multi-reagent ion time of flight chemical ionisation mass spectrometer (ToF-CIMS, Aerodyne) for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gases at atmospherically relevant concentrations with a range of inlets including the Filter Inlet for Gases and  AEROsols (FIGAERO) to allow analysis of particulate species.

ii) wide range of particle analysis instrumentation, including mobility, optical and aerodynamic sizing (SMPS, DMPS, OPC, APS) and online composition analysis by various time of flight aerosol mass spectrometers (C-ToF, HR-ToF and L-ToF AMS instruments) and particle water uptake under sub-saturated and supersaturated conditions (HTDMA and CCNc)

iii) Continuous online measurements of gases (CO2, NOx, O3), pressure, temperature, and relative humidity by capacitance and dewpoint hygrometers.

TIME CONSTRAINTS: None, although access, staff, ancillary component  and instrument availability must be coordinated with other activities in laboratory

MAC personnel will work with researchers and innovators to develop and test new techniques and instrumentation for measuring atmospheric gases and particles. 

Existing standard operating procedures can be used for comparing the performance of new techniques with established techniques.

MAC will work with innovators in both the public and private sector to test the performance of: 

i) products influenced by atmospheric composition and properties. Product performance reports can be prepared under controlled atmospheric conditions

and 

ii) near-to-market sensors and instruments for measuring atmospheric gases and particles. Existing standard operating procedures can be used for comparing the performance of new products with established measurement methods.

AMP provides ground-based and airborne (hot-air balloon) atmospheric monitoring services, supporting scientific experiments and the testing of measurement devices, including: measuring particle sizes suspended in air within the 0.3–10 µm range; determining the concentration of collected particle fractions; measuring air temperature, pressure, and humidity; measuring ozone and soot concentrations; measuring the concentrations of atmospheric gasses such as CO₂, NO, NO₂, NH₃, SO₂, benzene, formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs); collecting pollutant samples for chemical, biochemical, and crystallographic analyses in stationary laboratories; collecting and analyzing nanoparticles in the 10–300 nm range; and collecting and analyzing flora pollen, fungal spores, zooplankton, and microorganisms.

AMP enables the examination of collected air pollutant samples, especially their morphology, chemical and phase composition, in order to determine their source.

Calibration and audit of an ICOS station with ICOS mobile laboratory. 

TIME CONSTRAINTS: The service is available but must fit into the audit schedule of the ICOS mobile laboratory.

AVAILABILITY PERIOD: The service is available. Location is subject to change, due to the mobility of the ICOS mobile laboratory.

Deployment of the Atmo-Lab or CMLab to user-defined custom location. Requires coordination between user and service provider.

TIME CONSTRAINTS: Must fit into the deployment schedule of ATMO-Lab or CMLab

Deployment duration of > 1 month

Preparation and transport time must also be considered 

AVAILABILITY PERIOD: The service is available but must fit into the deployment schedule of ATMO-Lab or CMLab

Calibration and operational checks for CPCs.

CPC calibration includes:

• the check of the main operational parameters (flows, temperatures, laser current, etc.),

• measurement of CPC counting efficiency (3-40 nm),

• check/adjustment of CPC cut-off diameter (10 nm for ACTRIS),

• measurement of CPC output linearity (1 000 - 50 000 #/ccm).

Training of operators for correct set-up and operation and basic maintenance of the CPCs. 

PACC is a new unit of CAIS-ECAC, but the hosting laboratory at ICPF CAS has a long lasting history in these measurements and is fully harmonized with WCCAP (TROPOS, Leipzig, Germany). 

Calibration and operational checks for MPSSs.

MPSS calibration includes:

• the check of the main status parameters (flows, HV, etc.),

• check of the recommended set-up (bipolar charger, sensors - RH/T&p in aerosol and sheath flow, positive polarity HV supply, flow ratio, etc.),

• sizing check (NIST latex particles 203 nm),

• plumbing time check (up- and down-scan),

• check/adjustment of the sheath flow,

• comparison of the particle number size distribution against reference instruments (MPSS and total count CPC) on atmospheric aerosol.

Training of operators for correct set-up and operation and basic maintenance of the MPSSs. 

PACC is a new unit of CAIS-ECAC, but the hosting laboratory at ICPF CAS has a long lasting history in these measurements and is fully harmonized with WCCAP (TROPOS, Leipzig, Germany).

Estimation of size resolved losses (penetration efficiency) of any parts of the sampling line.

The measurement set-up allows for:

• monodisperse testing aerosol (20-400 nm, salt solutions - usually ammonium sulphate, etc.),

• penetration estimation up to 99.99999%,

• built-in correction for the detector (CPC) inconsistency,

• automated and fully controlled measurement process.

PACC is a new unit of CAIS-ECAC, but the hosting laboratory at ICPF CAS has a long lasting history in these measurements including testing of filtration efficiency of over 250 different types of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during COVID pandemic. 

Offer of technical audits for the measurements stations and measurements set-up

Compliance with ACTRIS standards (based on CEN/TS/best practice/decades of experience):

• sampling inlets,

• sampling lines,

• aerosol conditioning (drying),

• correct operation (parameters) of microphysical instruments.

Recommendations for improvements and possible arrangements in order to comply with standard operating procedures. 

PACC is a new unit of CAIS-ECAC, but the hosting laboratory at ICPF CAS has a long lasting history in aerosol measurements and in the last 3 years being also responsible for technical audits of ACTRIS AIS NFs. 

The course is open to ACTRIS related people (NF technicians, Advanced master students, Ph.D. students and early career scientists) and also to external (non-ACTRIS) users.

The course offers fundamental knowledge in aerosol sampling & conditioning as well as methods for aerosol in-situ measurements of physical and chemical aerosol variables (covering the whole variety of ACTRIS aerosol in-situ variables). The course includes a visit to the National Atmospheric Observatory Kosetice (NAOK) and hands-on training for some aerosol instruments.

Detailed information can be found at:

https://www.actris-ecac.eu/summer-school-2025.php

The service includes:

• accommodation at NAOK.

• all meals.

• transportation from Prague to NAOK and back.

   

  AVAILABILITY PERIOD: One weeks, once per year

Operation of the aerosol lidar located at the PANGEA station and the user’s own lidar instrument for testing and validation purposes while following the ACTRIS protocols for lidar measurements procedures and data quality assurance and quality control.

The service includes:

• Administrative support for the deployment and installation of the user’s instrument at the PANGEA premises

• Technical support at the facility to fulfill visitor needs and constraints related to installation, deployment and operation of equipment (e.g. power connections, remote access, storage, internet network).

• Operation of the PANGEA lidar and provision of lidar products for the comparison with the lidar to be tested/validated

• Scientific support for supervision and analysis of collected data (physical or remote)

TIME CONSTRAINTS: On-site lidar intercomparison in spring & summer

Application, testing, and validation of the user’s custom algorithm for lidar data processing and product retrievals based on lidar measurements from PANGEA instrumentation. The possibility to include testing of the algorithm based on simulated lidar signals (e.g. from an EARLINET algorithm intercomparison exercise) is also provided. 

The service includes:

• Provision of lidar measurements from PANGEA station

• Support in the processing and analysis of raw lidar data from the PANGEA instrumentation 

• Support in the algorithm testing/validation using simulated lidar signals 

Short and long-term experimental Cal/Val campaigns at PANGEA premises, using PANGEA’s infrastructure and user’s own instrumentation. The infrastructure at PANGEA includes ACTRIS compliant aerosol and cloud remote sensing instrumentation, along with complementary measurements for meteorological parameters and radiation. Additional instruments from the users can be also accommodated indoor or outdoor, as needed.

The service includes:

• Data collection and data analysis of the PANGEA instrumentation

• Administrative and technical support on the (de)mobilization, installation, and operation of the user’s instrumentation

• Support from the scientific staff to collect, process and analyze the data.

• Support from the scientific staff to set the measurements schedule coincident with satellite overpasses