National Facilities
ACTRIS is the pan-European research infrastructure producing high-quality data and information on short-lived atmospheric constituents and on the processes leading to the variability of these constituents in natural and controlled atmospheres.
ACTRIS promotes the provision of access to a large variety of high-quality services to a wide range of users and needs, for scientific, technological and innovation-oriented usage.
ACTRIS core components are the National facilities, constituting in observatory and exploratory platoforms, and the Central Facilities, fundamental for the provision of harmonized high-quality data.
Discover ACTRIS added value to your work. Choose your profile and find what ACTRIS offers you.
Testing and calibration of aerosol samplers and aerosols/gas monitors (e.g. low-cost detectors): connection/introduction of the samplers/detectors to/in the chamber, production of different aerosol and gas species, comparison of the detectors response with those of the ChAMBRe reference equipment.
Multi-wavelength on-line and off-line measurement of the optical properties (absorption and scattering) of atmospheric aerosols: injection of different aerosol species (soot, dust, salt, organic), modulation of the meteo-climatic conditions, on-line measurement by 3-lambda photoacoustics monitors (PAXs), OPS and SMPS, sampling on filters/impactors and off-line analyses by Multi Wavelength Absorbance Analyzer (MWAA)and two-lambda thermo-optical analysis.
Testing/characterization/calibration of bioaerosol on-line monitors/sensors: injection of different bacteria strains and measurement of the detectors response, testing of selection/identification algoritms, comparison with WIBS-NEO response, possibility to include fungi and pollens.
Measurement of bacteria viability vs. atmospheric and air quality conditions: injection of viable bacteria through different nebulizer, production in the chamber of different atmospheric conditions and composition (meteo-climatic, gaseous and aerosol species concentration), monitoring of the bacteria concentration via particle counters and WIBS, collection of viable bacteria through Andersen impactor, liquid impingers, petri dishes, filters. Incubation and counting, microscopic characterization.
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.