The Environmental Observations area is structured into two units:
- An “Environmental Monitoring” unit whose aim is to characterise atmospheric composition, related environmental parameters and trends through continuous long-term measurements, combining ground-based (in-situ and remote sensing) observations, vertical in-situ profiling (UAVs), and satellite-based measurements.
- An “Emissions and Processes” unit, whose aim is to analyse, through intensive experimental studies, the atmospheric loads and interactions of gaseous and aerosol pollutants in urban and remote regions of the EMME, quantify the sources, fluxes, environmental fate, and effects on air quality, climate and biogeochemical cycles.
The Environmental Observations department will characterise atmospheric composition through long-term observations at remote sites across Cyprus and the EMME region combining ground-based (in-situ and remote sensing) observations with vertical in-situ profiling (UAVs) and satellite-based measurements. These observations will offer a comprehensive description of the atmospheric composition (GHGs, reactive gases precursors, aerosols, clouds) at the Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory, far from local emissions and representative of the regional (EMME) atmospheric environment. Long-term observations will be complemented by intensive field studies to be performed in the EMME region on specific emission factors and source profiles for source apportionment studies and emission inventory validation. Atmospheric processes specific to the EMME region (such as the impact of air pollution on desert dust) will be characterised experimentally under controlled atmosphere (laboratory experiments) and in real-world conditions.
