Location: Nicosia, Cyprus (Workshop) |Orounda, Cyprus (airfield)

Web site address: https://usrl.cyi.ac.cy/

USRL Infrastructure includes 1) An instrumentation lab (50m²) with weather chamber; 2) Specialized mechanic/electronic workshops (100m²); 3) A private (asphalt) UAV airfield and permanent private airspace (up to 4km altitude) located at 30km west of Nicosia; 4) A team of 8 experienced engineers (electric, electronic, software, system, communication, mechanic/material), 2 professional pilots. USRL Instrumentation includes 1) Large fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (fixed and rotary wings) with different payload capacity (up to 10kg); 2) UAV-balloon systems for high altitude profile (up to 10km); 3) A large set of lightweight atmospheric sensors relevant to ACTRIS and ICOS/INGOS; 4) Capacity to design, develop and test atmospheric sensors in collaboration with the private sector and/or other academic partners. USRL added values are 1) co-location of the Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory (CAO), another ATMO-ACCESS TNA, 2) new infrastructure, 3) experienced technical staff, 4) size/diversity of the UAV fleet, and 4) a wide range of available atmospheric sensors, and 5) customized sensor development and integration (hardware/software).

Location: Leipzig, Germany

Web site address: https://www.tropos.de/en/research/projects-infrastructures-technology/coordinated-observations-and-networks/lacros

Services offered at LACROS

The Leipzig Aerosol and Clouds Remote Observations System (LACROS) is a combined aerosol and cloud remote-sensing mobile facility. It consists of cloud radar, Raman and Doppler lidars, and additional instruments for passive and active remote sensing. The co-located, continuous observations enable the development and application of sophisticated retrieval algorithms by exploiting instrument synergies. The mobile facility is used for observations at the TROPOS sites in Leipzig and Melpitz as well as in field experiments at global hotspots. LACROS has been already deployed in several national and international campaigns, in Europe and South America.

Location: Patras, Greece

Web site address: laqs.iceht.forth.gr/en/laqs/research-facilities.html

Services offered at FORTH-MSC

Outdoor mobile single or dual chamber system. One 10 m³ or two 2 m³ Teflon reactors inside UV-equipped enclosure. The chamber can operate with natural sunlight, artificial UV, or in the dark. MSC is equipped with comprehensive instrumentation for aerosol and gas measurements. Instrumentation is housed inside the mobile Laboratory for Air Quality Studies (LAQS). Unique feature is the ability to perform ambient air perturbation experiments (starting with ambient air) changing the conditions in the first chamber and keeping the second as baseline. The chamber can be moved to field sites or other laboratories, and it can operate with primary air pollution sources (wood burning, cooking, gasoline and diesel engines).

The mobile facility comprises 3 installations:

ICOS-Lab: The ICOS mobile laboratory, a specially equipped van, conducts on-site Quality Control for atmospheric station measurements by auditing the measurement system, calibration scales and parallel measurements using state-of-the-art instrumentation.

ATMo-Lab is a moving platform intended for housing aerosol and trace gas measurement instrumentation during field and on-road measurement experiments.

The CMLab provides access to mobile instruments measuring clouds, aerosol, turbulence, and winds, and providing characterisation of the boundary layer from ACTRIS-approved instruments and processing, essentially providing a mobile ACTRIS Cloud Remote Sensing station.

Location: Sosnowiec, Poland

Web site address: https://us.edu.pl/en/nauka-i-badania/centra-badawcze/ulka/

The AMP consists of two cooperating mobile platforms:

• A manned hot-air balloon equipped with a field meteorological station and devices for in-situ testing of aerosols and gases;
• A car platform equipped with devices for in-situ testing of aerosols and equipped with a mobile scanning lidar by the end of 2023. The purchased lidar complies with ACTRIS requirements.

The whole is a unique set for conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of atmospheric research. AMP has a team consisting of two balloon pilots, in-situ research experts and technicians. AMP has devices for testing micro and nanoparticles collection of micro and nanoparticles for further analysis in the lab. stationary, collection of microbiological samples (μCoriolis), devices for testing gas concentrations: NO, NO2, SO2, HCl, Cl2, CO, CO2, O3, NH3, benzene, formaldehyde, TVOC, H2S, HCN. Possibility of collecting gases from different heights into Tedlar bags. Ability to perform detailed geochemical analyzes (organic compounds) using GC-MS, mineralogical (single particles) using electron microscopy (SEM/TEM).

Services offered: A unique set of mobile in-situ and remote sensing laboratories in Europe for interdisciplinary atmosphere studies. The balloon platform gives the possibility of making atmospheric profiles up to 4000 m above sea level. The advantage of APM is measurement of many parameters at the same conditions and time.

Picture: AMP Poland placed in the basket of a manned hot air balloon.