Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure...

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Società Italiana di Fisica - XCVII Congresso Nazionale L'Aquila, 26 - 30 Settembre, 2011

ACTRIS

Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure Network

Gelsomina Pappalardo

CNR-IMAA

[email protected]


Outline

• Introduction

• Previous experience (EARLINET, EUSAAR,

CloudNet)

• ACTRIS

• Summary and remarks


Aerosols are very difficult to handle in models

Aerosols are produced by many different processes, some sources are localized, others are

distributed over large volumes

Aerosols interact dynamically in a nonlinear way (nucleation, condensation, coagulation,

deposition)

Aerosols can be transported over large distances

Measurements are needed to assess and improve understanding of

aerosol processes and their treatment in models

Aerosol observations for climate and air quality research

Integrated approach

- in situ measurements

- Ground based remote sensing measurements

- Satellite measurements


Lidar measurements

It is in particular the information about the vertical distribution of aerosols that is

missing!

The exact altitude of any aerosol layer is required to trace it back to the source.

Lidar provides excellent information about the vertical structure of aerosol layers.

Advanced lidar methods provide very good information about aerosol optical properties

(extinction, backscatter, optical depth).

Advanced lidar plus advanced retrieval methods provide important information about

microphysical properties of aerosols.

Lidar Network

Aerosol distribution is highly variable, single point measurements are insufficient for

characterization.

At least continental scale coverage is needed for, e.g., climate impact studies, source

localization, comparative statistics.

It helps to build a community with common understanding of aerosol related

processes and observation techniques!


Aerosol profiling for climate and air quality research

Lidar measurements

Long term measurements

Distributed measurements

Advanced lidar systems for microphysical properties

EARLINET


EARLINET

European Aerosol Research LIdar NETwork

• 22 lidar stations distributed over 14

European countries

• main objective: to establish a qualitatively

and quantitatively significant database for the

horizontal and vertical distributions of

atmospheric aerosols over Europe

• 3 systematic regular aerosol lidar

measurements per week

• special measurement campaigns to

study special events (Saharan dust

outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, forest fires)

• system level and retrieval alghoritms

intercomparisons

EARLINET was established in February, 2000 as a research project supported by the European

Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme within the Energy, Environment and Sustainable

Development Programme, contract No EVR1-CT-1999-40003.


● since 2000

● 27 lidar stations

- 10 multiwavelength Raman lidar

stations

backscatter (355, 532 and 1064 nm) + extinction

(355 and 532 nm) + depol ratio (532 nm)

- 10 Raman lidar stations

- 7 single backscatter lidar stations

● comprehensive, quantitative, and statistically significant data base

● Continental and long-term scale

EARLINET-ASOS

European Aerosol Research Lidar Network 2011

www.earlinet.org


First tool for 4D aerosol measurements on continental scale

● Quality assurance program - Instruments - Data analysis

● Predefined measurement schedule (3 per week) → unbiased

● Coordinated network observations for special events (e.g., Saharan dust, forest fires, photochemical smog, diurnal cycle, volcanic eruptions)

● Standardized data format

● Access to data via centralized data base

EARLINET: European Aerosol Research Lidar Network


EARLINET ASOS

European Aerosol Research Lidar Network:

Advanced Sustainable Observation System

EC Infrastructure Project 1 March 2006 - 28 February 2011

The overall objectives are:

To extend the development of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network as a

world-leading instrument for the observation of the 4-dimensional spatio-temporal

distribution of aerosols on a continental scale, resulting in accurate, well-defined, and

easily accessible data products for use in science and environmental services.

To enhance the operation of this instrument to foster aerosol-related process studies,

validation of satellite sensors, model development and validation, assimilation of aerosol

data into operational models, and to build a comprehensive climatology of the aerosol

distribution.

To play a leading role in the development of a global observation network for the aerosol

vertical distribution as a major innovative element of GEOSS, by setting the standards for

instruments, methodology, and organization in this specific area.


Funded by EU under the infrastructure

program (March 2006- Feb. 2011)

Coordination CNRS

Overall objective : Integration of

atmospheric aerosol measurements

performed in a distributed network of 20

high quality European ground-based

stations. This integration contributes to

a sustainable and reliable operational

service in support of policy issues on air

quality, long-range transport of

pollutants and climate change.

The EUSAAR network

The EUSAAR Project


Operated by RCRU,

RAL. Station

Operated by CNRS/IPSL

Station

Operated by KNMI

Station

Operated by DWD

Station

Operated by CNR-IMAA

Station

Cloud fraction, liquid and ice water contents derived from long-term radar,

lidar, and microwave radiometer data are systematically compared to

models to quantify and improve their performance.

A. J. Illingworth et al., BAMS 2007


ACTRIS aims at integrating European ground-based stations equipped with advanced atmospheric probing instrumentation for aerosols, clouds and short-lived gas-phase species.

ACTRIS will have the essential role to support building of new knowledge as well as policy issues on climate change, air quality and long-range transport of pollutants.

ACTRIS Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure Network

Type of funding scheme: Combination of Collaborative Projects and Coordination and Support Actions for Integrating Activities

Work programme topics addressed: FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-2010-1

Support to existing research infrastructures/ Integrating Activities

INFRA-2010-1-1.1.16: Research Infrastructures for Atmospheric Research

1 April 2011 – 31 March 2015


The main objectives of ACTRIS are:

To provide long-term observational data relevant to climate and air quality research on the regional scale produced with standardized or comparable procedures throughout the network

To provide a coordinated framework to support trans-national access to large infrastructures strengthening high-quality collaboration in and outside the EU and access to high-quality information and services for the user communities (research, Environmental protection agencies, etc.)

To develop new integration tools to fully exploit the use of multiple atmospheric techniques at ground-based stations, in particular for the calibration/validation/integration of satellite sensors and for the improvement of the parameterizations used in global and regional-scale climate and air quality models

To enhance training of new scientists and new users in particular students, young scientists, and scientists from eastern European and non-EU developing countries in the field of atmospheric observation

To promote development of new technologies for atmospheric observation of aerosols, clouds and trace gases through close partnership with EU SMEs


ACTRIS builds a new research infrastructure on the basis of a consortium joining existing networks/observatories that are already providing consistent datasets of observations and that are performed using state-of-the-art measurement technology and data processing.

In particular the ACTRIS consortium merges two existing research infrastructures funded by the European Commission under FP6: EUSAAR (European Supersites for Atmospheric Aerosol Research) and EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network).

ACTRIS also includes the distributed infrastructure on aerosol – cloud interaction existing from a previous EU Research project CLOUDNET and by grouping the existing EU ground-based monitoring capacity for short-lived trace gases which is, at present, not coordinated at any level, besides EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) and GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) caring for a few specific compounds.


ACTRIS partners

28 partners

in 19 Countries


ACTRIS associated partners

19 associated partners / + new applications received since the start of the project


ACTRIS WPs

Networking activities

Transnational access

Joint research activities

Management

Service


Map of measurement sites contributing to ACTRIS

ACTRIS sites offering TNA www.actris.net


ACTRIS represents an unprecedented effort towards integration of a distributed network of ground-based stations, covering most climatic regions of Europe, and responding to a strong demand from the

atmospheric research community.

ACTRIS is a network of networks / Federation of existing networks

Each network operates with a rigorous QA program for both instrument and data processing quantitative data including error bars and QA and representativeness flags

Observation strategy

Standardization of data and metadata

Integration is the added value. Integration is performed

- at instrument level: exploiting the synergies among different sensors (lidar/radar; lidar-in-situ; lidar-sunphotometer; …) and providing integrated advanced products

- at data base level: providing open access to a central data portal


The Eyjafjallajökull eruption (2010)

Quicklook made available almost in near real time on the EARLINET website


Ansmann et al., GRL 2010

16 April 2010, 14:15-15:30 UT, Lepzig, Germany

17 April 2010, 01:40-02:30 UT, Munich, Germany

Optical characterization


Palaiseau, France (48.7 N, 2.2 E, 162 m a.s.l., 532 nm)

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

Minimum and maximum investigated altitudes

DustLayerHeight

b532>1 e-6 m-1 sr-1

1e-7<b532<1 e-6 m-1 sr-1

b532<1e-7 m-1 sr-1

Volcanic aerosol

Forest Fires Aerosol

Desert dust

Local Aerosol UnknownAerosol

Continental aerosol

Cloud/cirrus

Mixed aerosol

Pappalardo et al.. ACP 2011 in preparation


Lidar - radar


EARLINET – AERONET/PHOTONS comparison and integration

The vertical profiling capability of lidar techniques allow to investigate the vertical distribution of the aerosol

providing high vertical resolution profiles of the aerosol optical properties.

In particular, PBL height is typically provided in the EARLINET database for each observation as additional

information. Starting from it, it is possible to calculate the free troposphere (FT) contribution to the aerosol load.

The FT contribution to the total aerosol

load ranges between 24 up to 37%.

For Southern stations it is evident an annual

behaviour, that is mainly due to the arrival of

desert dust from the close Africa continent

[Mona et al., 2006; Papayannis et al., 2008]

and to the biomass burning that largely affect

Greece and Italy during warm seasons [Balis

et al., 2003].

0 200 400 600 800 1000

0

20

40

60

80

100

Hamburg

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)

Day since 1 May 2000

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

0

20

40

60

80

100

Leipzig

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

0

20

40

60

80

100

Leipzig 532nm

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Potenza

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


0 200 400 600 800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Lecce

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 2800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Thessaloniki

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


0 200 400 600 800 1000

0

20

40

60

80

100

Hamburg

FT

con

trib

ution

(%

)


0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

0

20

40

60

80

100

Leipzig

FT

con

trib

ution

(%

)


0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

0

20

40

60

80

100

Leipzig 532nm

FT

con

trib

ution

(%

)


0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Potenza

FT

con

trib

ution

(%

)


0 200 400 600 800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Lecce

FT

con

trib

ution

(%

)


0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 2800

0

20

40

60

80

100

Thessaloniki

FT

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n (

%)


Lidar - sunphotometer


Data are accessible through the ACTRIS data center which links the existing data bases:

EARLINET (MPIMET, Germany)

EUSAAR/EBAS (NILU, Norway)

CloudNet (BADC, UK)

In addition the data center provides tools and applications for end users to facilitate the use of all measurements for broad user communities.

Through the ACTRIS integrated data centre, more than 100 000 data sets of atmospheric parameters are expected to be available.

This is by far the most comprehensive atmospheric data centre available worldwide including in-situ aerosol and gas phase measurements, remote column aerosol observations, vertical aerosol profile information and cloud observations.


ACTRIS is not a research project but a research infrastructure (long-term vision)

ACTRIS for Long-term Sustainable Research Network

Maintain the state of the art of the observations

Technological and methodological developments

Fill existing gaps

Integration (observation strategy, synergies, methodology , products and database)

Sustainability for long term observations

Existing – step further – long term


Summary

Strong need for integrated long term atmospheric observations

ACTRIS: Integrated observations and advanced products; Cooperation and

coordination with the relevant observation and user communities

Link to all the other I3 and ESFRI

Sustainable observation system at European level

support is needed at national level

in some case Italian leadership (EARLINET, ACCENT, ACTRIS, EPOS, EMSO)

italian participation (EUSAAR, COPAL, EUFAR, ICOS, SIOS, LIFEWATCH)

Research infrastructure as core for scientific research and developments and also for more operational services (FPVIII, GMES)

At global scale WMO-GAW, WMO-GCOS, GEOSS


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

European Commission contracts RICA-025991 and 262254

WMO - GAW

European Space Agency

German Weather Service for the air mass back-trajectory analysis

NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision of the HYSPLIT

backtrajectory analysis

NASA for MODIS, AERONET and CALIPSO

Maltese Euromediterranean Center (ICoD) and Barcelona Supercomputing

Center for Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM)

Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure...

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