The Research Infrastructure (RI) ACTRIS – Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases – is the pan-European RI that consolidates activities amongst European partners for observations of aerosol, clouds and trace gases and for understanding of the related atmospheric processes, to provide RI services to wide user groups. ACTRIS is an important RI in the European atmospheric research infrastructure landscape as also acknowledged by the ESFRI Landscape analysis as part of ESFRI Roadmap 2018.
ACTRIS is composed of 9 connected elements: distributed National Facilities (Observational platforms and Exploratory platforms) both in Europe and globally, and 8 Central Facilities: the Head Office, the Data Centre and 6 Topical Centres. SIRTA is involved through the ACTRIS european research infrastructure as a National facility and as a unit of two of the six expertise centers called Topical centers. In parallel, Sirta is actively participating with the same involvements to the ACTRIS french research infrastructure, ACTRIS-FR.
SIRTA, an ACTRIS-EU National Facility
Involved for more than 15 years in the construction of European measurement networks, the SIRTA is one of the instrumented sites that integrates ACTRIS, as a “National Facility”, covering the thematic areas of cloud and aerosol profiles and in-situ measurements of reactive gases and aerosols.
- Link to ACTRIS EU website: https://www.actris.eu/
SIRTA, host of two topical centers units
Each ACTRIS Topical center consists of several units. The SIRTA infrastructure is hosting two units: the CCRES-FR, leader of the Centre for Cloud Remote Sensing (CCRES topical center), and the ACMCC, french unit of the Centre for Aerosol In Situ measurements (CAIS topical center). These Topical centers aim to provide support to ACTRIS National facilities and ACTRIS Data Centers to improve measurement and data quality. The Centers will develop services to harmonize measurement protocols, to verify the proper functioning of instruments and to ensure their calibration, to control data quality, to train users and to support the emulation of scientific communities within the scope of each center. The centers are also responsible for monitoring measurement technologies and scientific algorithm developments. The SIRTA infrastructure and the expertise of the teams involved are adapted to the provision of these services.
- Link to CCRES website: tbd
- Link to CAIS website: tbd
SIRTA, an ACTRIS FR facility
The ACTRIS french research infrastructure ACTRIS-FR coordinates the national atmospheric observing services to ensure the sustainability of climate monitoring and atmospheric composition. SIRTA has been a dynamic actor in the construction of the RI, in particular through SOERE ROSEA network, initiated in 2011, which has allowed to build solid collaborations between several French instrumented sites (e.g. Observatories of Puy de Dome, Maïdo, Haute Provence, Lannemezan/Pic-du-midi). The collaborations within SOERE ROSEA on the theme “atmospheric component of the water cycle” and SOERE ORAURE on the physico-chemical properties of aerosols, have served as an incubator for the creation of the IR ACTRIS-FR.
The French contribution to ACTRIS-EU of the SIRTA and to the two associated expertise centers CCRES and ACMCC is fully integrated in the perimeter of the IR ACTRIS-FR.
- Link to ACTRIS FR website: https://www.actris.fr/
