Physical access to advanced ACTRIS stations
Transnational access in ACTRIS-2 offer hands-on access to world-class observing platforms in Europe including Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (IARC-AEMET) under the acronym of ISAF (Izaña Subtropical Access Facility).
Izaña Subtropical Access Facility (ISAF) is a Global Atmospheric Watch observatory located on a mountaintop at 2370 m.a.s.l. on Tenerife, Canary Islands, most of the time under free-troposphere conditions. The site allows performing in-situ measurements of the NW North Atlantic airflows which may contain species linked to anthropogenic emissions from North America. In summertime Izaña is into the Saharan Air Layer, which brings large amounts of desert dust mixed with minor secondary anthropogenic aerosols. ISAF hosts GAW program of global importance providing data and scientific added-value on the chemical composition and related physical characteristics of the atmosphere and their trends. Long term monitoring of in-situ greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O and SF6) and in-situ reactive gases (O3, CO, NO-NO2, SO2) have been carried out since 1984. Ozone layer is monitored with both Brewer spectrophotometers and ECC sondes since 1992 providing unique information of the subtropical upper troposphere/lowers stratosphere (UTLS). A comprehensive program of in-situ and column aerosols (GAW, AERONET, GAW-PFR, MPLNet) is carried out for air quality and climate studies. A FTIR program has been implemented for long-term monitoring of atmospheric gas composition in the framework of NDACC since 1999 and TCCON since 2007. Izana is a unique BSRN station to conduct studies of dust radiative forcing. Izana develops activities within the WMO SDS WAS. New technical developments, such as a total sky camera, a sky color index radiometer, and lunar photometer are carried out under collaborations with private companies.
Services currently offered by the infrastructure:
Izana is the only existing infrastructure for the observation of the atmosphere located in the free troposphere of the subtropical North Atlantic. Izana offers unique opportunity for studying: African dust transport, Long-range transport of aerosols and pollution: Europe-Africa pollution “exchange” and North America-North Africa atmospheric transport, new particles formation in the subtropical free-troposphere, dust-cloud interaction through ice nuclei and CCN, dust-radiation processes, radiation and aerosols instruments calibration/evaluation, satellite-based products validation and chemical transport and dust models evaluation. Izana provides important ancillary added-value data from other permanent programs (FTIR, Ozone and UV, Greenhouse Gases and Carbon Cycle). Izana participates in different international networks and atmospheric systems/facilities (ACTRIS, AERONET, AERONET-Europe, BSRN, EAN, E-GVAP, EUBREWNET, EUREF, WMO-GAW, GALION, ICOS, INGOS, MPLNET, NDACC, NOAA/ESRL, RBCC-E, SDS WAS, SPALINET) providing more than 500 accesses per year to external users.
Modality of access:
Users will also have access to conditioned laboratories to deploy their own instruments (electrical power with UPS and internet connection is available). Data from the different observation programs (including data from satellite stations located at Pico Teide, Santa Cruz and Botanico garden) will be provided to the users if needed. Unit of access is defined as 1 research working day (RWD) by a user accessing the infrastructure. Access cost is based on the estimation of the Unit cost. After each access, a confirmation of visit indicating the total quantity of accesses per user, countersigned by the access provider, will be delivered by ISAF
Support offered:
Prior to any access, visitor scientists will interact with ISAF team to identify and agree access needs. During access, ISAF will provide administrative support and technical assistance to users for deployment their own equipment. Accommodation facilities (residence with 7 double-rooms) are available at the site (Izaña mountain) and at nearby small villages (30-40 km distant). ISAF has transportation service available on schedule for displacement from Santa Cruz to ISAF.
