AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

EARLINETThe European Aerosol Research Lidar Network

A. PAPAYANNIS

Lasers and Applications Laboratory

National Technical University of Athens,

Greece

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

EARLINET (2000-2003)Objectives:•Establish a climatology of the aerosol distribution over Europe- layer structure,- optical properties (extinction, optical depth, backscatter),- phenomenology or microphysics.

•Identify and quantify sources of aerosol

•Assess the effect of aerosols on the UV radiation budget

•Assess the importance of special events (Saharan dust, forest fires, photochemical smog events, etc.)

•Assess the importance of long-range transport

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

Why Aerosols?

Aerosols have important effects on human life:

-Aerosols can be toxic, by composition or by structure (size or shape)Many aerosol-induced diseases have been identified

Aerosols have important effects on Ecosystems and Climate:

-Ecosystems are affected by significant mass transport

- Aerosols affect the earth’s Climate (Radiation budget, cloud formation, temperature distribution) so they contribute to the Global Change and Public Health issues.

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

The EARLINET Network

•23 stations over Europe

•22 Research Institutions

•13 Countries

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

The EARLINET Network

Why a Network is needed? - Aerosol distribution/composition is highly variable- Continental scale is needed (European continent)- Use common measuring techniques

Why Lidars are needed?-Information on vertical distribution is missing!-The exact altitude of any aerosol layer is required to trace it back to the source region-Lidar provides excellent information about the vertical structure of aerosol layers-Advanced lidar methods provide very good information about aerosol optical properties

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

EARLINET Achievements:

•Quantification of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions and concentrations of aerosol over Europe

•Climatological aspects of aerosols over Europe

•Quantification of aerosol budget and UV radiative properties

•Identification of aerosol source regions

•Advancement of the scientific understanding on:

- physical and chemical processes related to aerosols,

- their long range transport and deposition

- the interaction of aerosols with clouds

- trans-boundary transport of aerosols across Europe

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

EARLINET Achievements:

•More than 13530 files were obtained over Europe:

> 4906 files for the climatology category

> 1985 files for Saharan dust studies

1651 files for studies of the diurnal cycle over large cities

•7678 hours covered by lidar measurements

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

Submission of Final Report to EU (4.2003)

(data input for decision makers in EU).

EARLINET hopefully to be continued after 2003

(Pierre & Marie Curie Programme).

AREHNA Workshop-Mobility and Health, 3-6 May 2003, Kos, Greece

Acknowledgements:

EARLINET was financed by the European Union

Environment Programme

Contract: EVR1-CT1999-40003