Private sector

USRL focuses on cost-effective UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) atmospheric applications (vertical profiling, 3D mapping, plume tracking) with miniaturized and lightweight atmospheric sensors fulfilling ACTRIS QA/QC and SOPs (e.g. Aerosol Number Size Concentration, Black Carbon Concentration). It comprises laboratories (150m²) with weather chamber for sensor qualification, specialised mechanical/electronic workshops, as well as a private airfield and permanent airspace (with max ceiling of 3km altitude) located nearby the Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory (ACTRIS National Facility candidate, https://cao.cyi.ac.cy/). USRL is operated by a team of 13 staff of experienced engineers (electronic, software, system, communication, mechanic /material), professional pilots (flying commercial airliners), and experienced researchers in atmospheric sciences. USRL includes a large fleet of customized UAVs (fixed and rotary wings) with different payload capacity (up to 10kg) and miniature air sensors.

Services currently offered by the facility: USRL provides 1) research support in performing intensive field campaigns (profiling, 3D mapping) of UAV-sensor systems, 2) technical support through customized integration of lightweight sensors into UAVs (multi-copter, fixed wing), 3) innovation support through the optimization of lightweight instrumentation for their specific use onboard UAVs, 4) quality UAV training of new users (pilots and scientists). 

USRL has been successfully used in the past for in-situ validation of LIDAR retrieval algorithms (Mamali et al., 2018; Marinou et al., 2019), Ice Nuclei measurements in the cloud region (Schrod et al., 2017), on-flight validation of lightweight absorption sensors (Pikridas et al., 2019), or for the characterisation (weather chamber) of miniaturized aerosol sensors (Bezantakos et al., 2018). USRL was candidate (as TNA provider) for the 3rd TNA call of ENVRI+, and has been successfully used many large international field campaigns (EU-FP7 BACCHUS in Cyprus; H2020-ACTRIS2 in Greece and Finland; AESA-ASKOS in Cape Verde) and for the provision of services to public/private collaborators (e.g. NOA, Greece; CEA, France). Potential new users: ISARRA Community (International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft; http://www.isarra.org/); >250 members, EU Research Infrastructure (ICOS, EUFAR) partners from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East region, governmental Units for Environmental monitoring, Security and civil protection. Support/training for SMEs developing UAV-sensor technology in compliance with EU directives (i.e. UAV-based stack emissions), for instrument testing and optimization, and training for UAV flight operation.

Novel remote access capabilities added: integration, testing and flights of new atmospheric sensors in USRL drones, performance of research (field) campaigns and UAV-sensor optimization with remote guidance by the end user.  

ACD-C with its twin chamber setup is a unique research infrastructure to study VOC degradation mechanism, SOA formation processes, the chemical composition of the gas/ particle phase, and toxicological effects of formed SOA. The twin chamber is equipped with a broad online and offline instrumentation, including two SMPS, PTR-TOFMS, PTR-QMS, two CAPS, two sub-ppb level NO2 analysers, an AMS, a CI-APi-TOFMS to comprehensively characterize a wide variety of chamber processes. 
The Leipzig Biomass Burning Facility (LBBF) as additional part of ACD-C allows studies on primary emissions as well as the processing of the emitted smoke. A broad online and offline instrumentation at ACD-C enables highly sophisticated research on tropospheric multiphase processes to provide the heighest level of understanding on a molecular level.
 

a) Hands-on training sessions on state of the art analytical instrumentation connected to ACD-C. 
b) Training on how to perform chamber experiments by experienced scientists.

PACS-C2 provides the possibility of testing new instrumentation and to perform (inter)calibrations or intercomparisons. 
Existing standard operation procedures can be used for comparison of new with established analytical techniques/instruments with the user.  

The technological services of ACD-C provide comprehensive basic principles for instrument development and strategic improvements.
 

ACD-C provides the possibility of testing new instrumentation and to perform (inter)calibrations or intercomparisons. 
Existing standard operation procedures can be used for comparison of new with established analytical techniques/instruments by the user.  

Long-time observation of Physical and chemical properties of aerosols combining online and offline measurements. Ground-based measurements can be completed with vertical measurements (ceilometer, LIDAR, …). 
In addition, the specific flight-restricted area over the station offers the possibility for UAVs, drones, and tethered balloon flights. 
The research site Melpitz can be used for research projects, measurement campaigns, intercomparison, and test facility for new instruments. 
 

The CESAR location in Cabauw is characterised by a 213 m high observation tower and surrounding observation field, located 50 km far from the North Sea. The site is ideal for atmospheric research on relations between the atmospheric boundary layer, land surface, weather, climate and atmospheric composition. The site is representative for long-term atmospheric studies because surroundings do not differ significantly from those in 1972 when the site was commissioned. 
Cabauw is one of very few observatories around the world that monitors such a wide scope of relevant processes in atmospheric chemistry and physics, hydrology, meteorology, climate, and atmospheric chemistry.
The observational programme includes the following topics:
-        Operational meteorological station
-        Operational air quality monitoring station
-        In-situ observations of meteorological parameters, including extensive land-atmosphere interaction.
-        Energy balance observations including flux measurements.
-        Radiation observations, including a Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) installation and hemispherical cloud cover observations.
-        A suite of aerosol remote sensing instruments, including a high-performance multi-wavelength Raman lidar for aerosols, clouds and water vapour, a ceilometer and a UV-depolarisation lidar.
-        A suite of (scanning) cloud remote sensing instruments, including 3/35/94 GHz cloud radars, microwave radiometers
-        Precipitation observations including a scanning drizzle radar, micro rain radar and disdrometers.
-        Wind profile observations along the tower up to 200 m and a scanning Doppler wind lidar
-        Greenhouse gas observations at four different levels in the tower between 20 m and 180 m.
-        In-situ aerosol observations, including scattering and absorbing aerosol properties, as well as chemical speciation and isotope analysis.
-        Atmospheric composition measurements using in-situ observations and UV-VIS remote sensing.
In addition, the specific flight-restricted area over the station offers the possibility for drones, and tethered balloon flights.
The Cabauw site offers access for research projects, measurement campaigns, intercomparisons, and test facility for new instruments, as well as training. 
 

Test, intercomparison and benchmarking services of technology from private to enhance innovation. For example: study, with the help of AGORA, in situ equipment, of impact of aerosols on new materials, properties of aerosols key for health industry, detection of hazardous aerosol particles. 

The service consists of:
·       Quality-assurance of physical and optical in-situ aerosol measurements achieved via instrument intercomparisons, calibration workshops, round-robin test and on-site intercomparisons
·       Capacity building to perform high-quality physical and optical in-situ aerosol characterization via on-site trainings and trainings in the calibration workshops

Estimated duration: There are special time slots for the workshops.