ACTRIS Marketplace

The performance of methods and instruments for measuring organic tracers and carbonaceous constituents in aerosols is evaluated against European standards.

CiGas develops measurement Guidelines (MGs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for biogenic NMHCs, OVOCs and condensable vapours and updates the existing ones for anthropogenic NMHCs and NOx), based on proven procedures and methodologies in close cooperation with international bodies (e.g. Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), National Metrological Institutes (NMIs), AQUILA, EMEP, CEN, ISO), NFs, and users.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control. Check of compliance with ACTRIS recommendations (instrument type, participation in calibration workshops, operation according to SOPs, operator qualification,  scope of applicability). Check of instrument diagnostic variables. Check of measurement data plausibility.

CiGas provides support to the NFs and users for achieving traceability of measurements, quality assurance and quality control of the measurements and the data before submission to public databases. Therefore, data quality and compatibility of ACTRIS trace gas measurements as defined in the MG are ensured by station performance tests as parallel offline measurements, side-by-side intercomparisons, on-site reference measurements, round robins, and by reviewing the data. CiGas provides working standards and target gas to NFs and users, links the measurement of ACTRIS reactive trace gases to primary standards and ensures the state-of-the-art traceability international scales.

Provision of up-to-date guidelines for measuring organic tracers and carbonaceous constituents in aerosols.

CiGas evaluates the NF labeling application and the conformity of the NF with respect to the MGs and SOPs.The NFs are visited by the units for audits with the objective to check the performance of the NF according to the MGs and SOP provided by the audit unit. Deviations from data quality objectives (DQOs) deserve special attention. During an audit, the following will be evaluated: (1) The sampling and instrument set-up, (2) the calibration and zero gas systems, (3) the QA/QC procedures implemented, (4) the training and instructions sessions, (5) data from calibration, zero gas, target gas, and standard addition, (6) the data delivery, (7) the results from intercomparison exercises, (8) the uncertainty evaluation, (9) the logbooks (instrument, measurements, station), (10) the scientific use of the data and (11) the overall equipment of the station.

The performance of NFs measuring particulate organic tracers and carbonaceous constituents is evaluated based on: QA/QC outputs, participation in inter-laboratory comparisons, calibration and training workshops, and effective data reporting to ACTRIS DC. Service not available to external users 

CiGas is involved in improving, testing and developing new instrumentation for assessing the ACTRIS chemical target variables in air. Specifically, the suitability of new instruments for long-term monitoring within ACTRIS and the conformity with the data quality objectives is tested and characterized.

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.

Measurement and technological services related to cloud and fog properties.

Documents describing operation procedures that ACTRIS National Facility operators must follow to obtain an ACTRIS Cloud Remote Sensing label. These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are defined to ensure the correct deployment of instruments and the optimal settings to perform routine measurements at ACTRIS National Facilities.

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.

Measurement and technological services related to cloud and fog properties.

Standard procedures for quality assurance developed and provided to NFs to ensure that instrument operators have the means to monitor measurement quality and can take corrective actions when measurement quality changes. A list of housekeeping data and QA/QC flags will be developed to identify measurements that are not compliant with requirements for Doppler Cloud Radars, MicroWave Radiometers, and Doppler Wind Lidars.

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, as well as all basics in technical issues, such as installation and maintenance of the instruments.

Research and technological services related to cloud and fog properties.

The CCRES is offering development and delivery of tested and traceable procedures for specific calibration of DCRs and MWRs,  possibly including multiple techniques: absolute calibration based on calibrated targets, relative calibration using calibration transfer from a reference instrument, absolute calibration using geophysical targets with known characteristics...

Site performance tests with reference device serve for regular on-site instrument performance check. The TC reference instruments is shipped to NF and measures according to corresponding SOP parallel to the instrument(s) being checked.