Action 1: Field measurements
Present activities & status
As already mentioned INRaSTES carries important expertise in the area of field measurements of atmospheric parameters both in terms of personnel and existing infrastructure. The total number of scientific and technical personnel that are involved in field measurements of atmospheric pollutants exceeds 8, which is by far the largest number in any research establishment of the country. Furthermore, the personnel receives continuous training on new developments in the field and attends all major exhibitions / events. During the last 4 years INRaSTES has conducted but also participated in at least ten experimental campaigns throughout Europe for research purposes and provision of services to the industry and national authorities.
Several units of INRaSTES have been awarded with accreditation according to EN 17025 for the measurements of Particulate Matter (PM10), Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Furthermore, INRaSTES has participated in more than 4 intercomparison exercises. Specifically, INRaSTES participated in two rounds of WASP (workplace analysis scheme for proficiency) for benzene analysis and has organised an Inter-laboratory intercomparison of ambient PM10 measurements in the framework of RER/2/005.
INRaSTES sustains the operation of the Demokritos (DEM) GAW-EMEP Regional monitoring field station1 for atmospheric aerosol research and technology applications in Atmospheric Pollution and Climate change. First Data for 2008 has been published in the EBAS Global Database (http://ebas.nilu.no/Default.aspx) operated by the EUropean Supersites Atmospheric Aerosol Research (EUSAAR). The station has been established at the grounds of the National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos" since 2007. Among the parameters monitored are: particle number and mass size distribution, aerosol optical properties, elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon and standard meteorological data. An adjacent air pollution sampling site has been established for the monitoring of PM mass concentration and gaseous pollutants (O3, NOx, SO2).
The equipment that presently belongs to INRaSTES is analytically described in details in section B2.4. An important issue that has been addressed here and will be elaborated in great detail by the related personnel and the Project Steering Committee in the starting period of the foreseen activities, is the optimal integration of existing equipment in the climate research activities.
Research Vision and Associated Actions in EnTeC
Two field stations will be acquired and installed, which will be situated in an urban location (Athens) and a background station representative of free troposphere conditions. The two stations will be equipped with an extensive set of equipment for monitoring greenhouse gases (in line with the modular, design of stations under ICOS) and aerosols in line with the GAW-WMO programme, a basic set of meteorological parameters, including fluxes by ultrasonic anemometer, and fulfilling the needs of the majority of the GCOS Essential Climate Variables. They will be designed to operate automatically and controlled remotely.
The existing metropolitan station is located in the premises of NCSRD on the city limits of Athens. It will be adapted to take advantage of an existing 85m mast to enable measurement of fluxes, and upgraded for high resolution measurements on greenhouse gases. The station is already recognized as a GAW-EMEP Regional Research Monitoring station. Sampling set ups will be upgraded for both gases and aerosols for subsequent laboratory analyses and add real time measurement capacity for [CO2], [CO], [CH4]. A flask sample system will be installed for the collection of gases. The instrumentation and monitored aerosol and auxiliary parameters include:
Fine and Ultrafine Number Aerosol Size distribution at ambient and Dry (10%) or Wet (90%) RH (measurement range 0.01-0.7 µm) by Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), scattering coefficient by a three wavelength nephelometer, absorption coefficient by a 7 wavelength aethalometer, PM2.5 mass concentration, EC/OC mass concentration by a SUNSET field analyzer (thermo-optical analysis), two optical particle counters (PMS Las-x &Grimm 1.107) measurement range (0.1-3 µm).
The background station will be set up at a free troposphere environment selected by the proposed feasibility study, with similar characteristics to the other station, for both aerosols and greenhouse gases, sampling and real time measurement capabilities This will include real time measurement capacity for [CO2], [CO], [CH4], real time aerosol measurements including size distribution by SMPS and Optical particle counter, optical properties (absorption and scattering coefficients) and a flask sample collection utility identical to the other station will be installed, plus High and low volume aerosol sampling setups at selected size fractions of interest.
These two stations will be used to set up an intensively comparison programme of simultaneous observations at background level (footprint several hundreds of kilometers), and in Athens with detailed analysis of flow patterns of trace gases and aerosols in a medium range footprint. The research that will be conducted with the field stations represents an important step in filling the gap of continuous gaseous measurements in South East Europe.
