ACTRIS Marketplace

Provision of diverse platforms with manifolds equipped with ACTRIS-ICOS compliant sampling systems for in-situ aerosol and reactive and greenhouse gases for exercises of instrument intercomparison. The platforms are hosted in two air-conditioned shelters equipped with internet. Multiple inlets to the sampling systems are available for the external users. Provision also of a 300 m² open terrace which overpass the pines canopy providing a 360º free horizon for optical field calibration and a radiometric calibration laboratory (absolute irradiance calibration and instrument characterization). All platforms are equipped with continuous power supply and security service.

 The service includes:

• Access to the intercomparison platforms at ARN.

• Administrative support for providing access to the facility, a workspace with internet access, and to advice on logistics for equipment transport and users and on accommodation near ARN observatory.

• Technical staff support to reception and storage of the transport cases, for adapting the facility to assemble the new equipment, for its installation (internet connection, power supply, etc) and for its operation.

• Provision of calibration or intercomparison reports.

Service for training through hands-on-instrument operative and data analysis in accordance with ACTRIS and ICOS requirements. The service applies to in-situ aerosol measurement techniques (variables defined in ACTRIS), aerosol remote sensing (photometry, zenithal radiation and LIDAR), DOAS technique, reactive and greenhouse (ICOS) gases, solar radiation measurements.

 The service includes:

• Administrative support for providing access to the facility, a workspace with internet access, and to advice on logistics for equipment transport and users and on accommodation near ARN observatory (physical).

• Hands-on training for the operation and calibration of the instruments.

• Training for the creation of data processing environments, as well as for the use of advanced processing algorithms and tools.

Campaigns organized by local research group at urban (BCN) and background (MSY) stations for research in atmospheric chemistry interactions based on synergistic combination of in-situ techniques at urban background and regional background site in the Western Mediterranean Basin. 

External research groups are invited to bring their own equipment (remote sensing or in situ) in order to get completeness in the essential variables.

At BCN station we count with:  SMPS 10-800nm, CPC>10nm, UCPC>3nm, optical particle counter, ACSM, aethalometer, nephelometer, OC/EC, filter sampling and chemical analysis of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 fractions, gas analyzers (NOx, CO, SO2, O3), meteo, PTR-TOF-MS 4000X2, a PTR-TOF-MS Liquid Calibration Unit (LCU)

At MSY we count with: SMPS 10-800nm, CPC>10nm, UCPC>3nm, optical particle counter, aethalometer, nephelometer, filter sampling and chemical analysis of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 fractions, gas analyzers (NOx, CO, SO2, O3), meteo and High resolution PTR-MS

The service includes:

• Administrative support to comply with internal procedures for accessing facilities (physical).

• Administrative support and advice for transportation, reception and storage of equipment.

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

• Technical support to remotely operate BCN and MSY instrumentation (remote).

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

• Unlimited observations and measurements as long as they do not interfere with other projects or instruments availability.

The BCN site offers expertise and training for PTR-MS and PTR-TOF-MS operation, calibration and data analysis. The service has a Liquid Calibration Unit, a Zero Air generator and several calibration gas standards including a NPL(National Physical Laboratory)  PTR-MS mix. 

This service includes:

• Administrative support for the fulfilment of the internal procedures related with the provision of access.

• Storing of the equipment at the IDAEA-CSIC headquarters before and after the access.

• Technical support at the infrastructure by senior technicians, including support during installation of equipment and execution of measurements.

• Interaction with senior atmospheric scientists for data interpretation and optimal definition of experiment strategy.

The BCN site offers the support for the testing and intercomparison of instruments for the measurement of air regulated metrics and parameters

This service includes:

• Administrative support for the fulfilment of the internal procedures related with the provision of access.

• Administrative and technical support for providing a workspace for visitors:  desk space with computer and internet access, meeting rooms, kitchen and lunch room (physical).

• Scientific and technical support for instrument installation and operation and analysis of collected data (physical, remote).

The BCN site offers expertise and training for Aethalometers (AE33) operation, calibration, maintenance and data analysis. The service has AE33 and AE36s instruments. 

This service includes:

• Administrative support for the fulfilment of the internal procedures related with the provision of access.

• Storing of the equipment at the IDAEA-CSIC headquarters before and after the access.

• Technical support at the infrastructure by senior technicians, including support during installation of equipment and execution of measurements.

• Interaction with senior atmospheric scientists for instrument maintenance, data interpretation and optimal definition of experiment strategy.

The BCN site offers expertise and training for the application of the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) tool. 

This service includes:

• Administrative support for the fulfilment of the internal procedures related with the provision of access.

• Support and training about the PMF (EPA PMFv5.0) PM source apportionment analysis

The “Pallas Cloud Experiments” (PACE’s) are 6-8 weeks long campaigns taking place at the Pallastunturi facility annually or bi-annually, from the beginning of September until November-December. During this period, the region at Pallas has a high fraction of low-level clouds, which reside at the altitude of the main measurement station, Sammaltunturi. This enables comprehensive studies that can be built around direct in situ observations of clouds.

At PAL, the infrastructure and continuous measurements offer a strong capacity that support specialized campaigns. The Sammaltunturi station is equipped with total- and interstitial aerosol inlets which host continuous measurements of aerosol physical and optical properties. The inlets have a provision for additional campaign measurements. The station has continuous measurements of cloud droplet microphysical properties, and comprehensive meteorological measurements are conducted.

In addition to the Sammaltunturi station, Pallas hosts below-cloud infrastructure including for example cloud remote sensing measurements and measurements for radiation balance, cloud base height and boundary layer height.

Most importantly, at Pallas, an airspace up to 2km altitude is reserved for research flights, offering possibilities to utilize e.g. UAV- based measurements and tethered balloon systems. Flying beyond visual line of sight is permitted, making vertical measurements through clouds possible.

The campaigns offer a relatively inexpensive opportunity to gather comprehensive data of sub-Arctic clouds, one of the most uncertain pieces of the global climate change puzzle.

TIME CONSTRAINTS: Early December is a challenging period for moving heavy equipment to/from the station

AVAILABILITY PERIOD: Annually, end of August to beginning of December

The ambient air in Pallastunturi is amongst the cleanest in the World, with particle number concentrations reaching levels of 10 #/cm3 during cold winter days, and up to a few thousand #/cm3 during strong biological activity in the summer. This provides an excellent opportunity to study the atmospheric composition of sub-Arctic air, where climate change is affecting the atmospheric composition rapidly.

In addition to research services, the station offers excellent possibilities for instrument development and -testing in the low concentration, Arctic setting.

Virtual Access is offered to continuous measurements conducted for ACTRIS aerosol in situ-, trace gases in situ-, cloud in situ- and cloud remote sensing measurements. Pallastunturi also hosts an air quality background supersite fulfilling the requirements of the new European air quality guidelines. Physical- and remote Access for installing additional instruments at the station is provided.

The Pallastunturi facility offers a designated air space for research flights with e.g. UAV’s and tethered balloon systems. The airspace is horizontally 7km*7km, with 2km ceiling altitude above ground level. Flying beyond visual line of sight is permitted, making vertical measurements through clouds possible.

Physical access is provided to operate user’s own airborne platforms, or utilizing measurements with the FMI’s UAV- fleet. FMI’s measurements encompass ACTRIS aerosol in situ-, and cloud in situ measurements, as well as meteorological parameters.

Operations are supported by continuous measurements of e.g. surface meteorological conditions, cloud base height, boundary layer height and cloud remote sensing observations. The Sammaltunturi station measurements (565 a.s.l.) can be used as reference to airborne observations.

The opportunity is ideal for research on the vertical distribution of atmospheric composition in the sub-Arctic as well as instrument testing. 

Continuous real-time measurements of plant pollen in the background sub-Arctic atmosphere. The measurements are conducted with in-situ observations (using the Swissens Poleno Jupiter automatic pollen analyzer).

The comprehensive set of aerosol research instrumentations at the site can be used in intercomparisons of aerosol- and in-situ cloud instruments. The site has availability of field calibration equipment and a selection of calibration aerosols to perform field calibrations and intercomparison experiments of standard optical and size segregated aerosol measurements. Technical support for such exercises is also available.

Sodankylä: The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s (FMI) Sodankylä facility (67°22’ N, 26°39’ E) hosts programs exploring upper air chemistry and dynamics, atmospheric column and profile measurements, snow/soil hydrology, biosphere-atmosphere interaction and satellite calibration-validation studies. The Sodankylä station contributes to Aeronet, NDACC, TCCON, GRUAN and other networks.  

At Sodankylä infrastructure is available for various atmospheric measurements. The services include:

- support for in situ balloon borne measurements of atmospheric composition. Examples are balloon-borne observations of atmospheric trace gases and aerosol properties. Regular radiosonde profiles are taken twice per 24 hours, at noon and at midnight. It is also possible to increase frequency of automated sonde launches for special observational periods.

- auxiliary ground-based observations are performed by various spectrometers dedicated to atmospheric composition measurements.