Following the development of the field (research organizations, private companies) and evaluates the new techniques, whether they could i) replace some of the existing technologies that are used to measure ACTRIS in-situ aerosol variables, ii) improve the capacity of aerosol in-situ observations, iii) be technologically developed enough for network scale operation.
This activity disseminates the knowledge of the CAIS/ECAC to the stakeholders. The knowledge transfer includes education and training activities organized by the CAIS/ECAC and different units.
ACTRIS variable-specific analysis tools will be developed and updated to monitor the instrumentation performance at NFs and will facilitate the development of near-real-time data products.
Operators and scientists are trained through courses, workshops and hands-on training sessions. The training enables the operators and scientists to be introduced into themeasurement guidelines/SOPs, QA/QC criteria and control, as well as all basics in technical issues, such as installation and maintenance of the instruments.
Calibration of the instruments according to ACTRIS and TC recommendations
QA/QC according to ACTRIS recommendations and operation guidelines.
Development and evaluation of new methodologies in the field of analysis of the elemental composition of aerosols. Service open to external users (including private enterprises).
Consultancy and knowledge transfer via higher education institutions, website and discussion forums.
Operators and scientists are trained through courses, workshops and hands-on training sessions. The training enables the operators and scientists to be introduced into the measurement guidelines/SOPs, QA/QC criteria and control, and troubleshooting. Participants are trained in sample preparation, sample analysis and quantification with different instruments. Participants can bring their own samples.
The performance of methods and instruments for measuring the elemental composition of aerosols is evaluated against distributed reference standards.
Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) check of compliance with ACTRIS recommendations (instrument type, participation in calibration workshops, operation according to SOPs, operator qualification, scope of applicability). Check of measurement data plausibility.
Provision of up-to-date guidelines for measuring the elemental composition of aerosols.
The performance of NFs measuring elemental composition of particulate matter samples is evaluated based on: QA/QC outputs, participation in inter-laboratory comparisons, calibration and training workshops, and effective data reporting to ACTRIS DC. Service available to external users
Provision of two detailed measurement guidelines for NFs. One for the observational platforms, one for the exploratory platforms that will be developed for current and updated for future needs.
Training and capacity-building (possibility to tailor the training depending on the interests of the participants, e.g. usage of high-resolution-DMA calibration setup, operation of PSM or NAIS, sampling of sub-10nm particles)
