The Aerosol, Clouds & Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) provides access to high-quality long-term atmospheric data for its members in 22 countries, 112 facilities and 144 research organisations.
ACTRIS has been utilising Aurora™ 3000 Nephelometers for its ongoing atmospheric research applications across Europe for more than five years. In that time, Acoem has developed a number of new features for both the Aurora™ 3000 and 4000, tailoring solutions to meet ACTRIS’ specific requirements.
Image source: www.actris.eu
Application examples – Aurora™ Nephelometers
- China – Aurora™ detects early warning dust storms in the Gobi Desert
- North America – Monitor wildfires with vehicle based Aurora™ 3000 nephelometer
- Mediterranean Sea – Air quality and climate change study
- High Altitude – Plane-based monitoring with the Aurora™ nephelometer
- Antarctica – Remote research expeditions with the AuroraTM 3000 & 4000 nephelometer
China – AuroraTM detects early warning dust storms in the Gobi Desert
Acoem provides a network of Aurora nephelometers in Northern and North-eastern China to monitor dust storms in the Gobi Desert. As an early warning system, the Auroras provide details of visibility, help to protect assets and also assist in national climate research. While filter-based systems do not operate efficiently in dust storms, the filter-less Aurora maintains reliable and accurate measurements under dust storm conditions.
North America – Monitor wildfires with vehicle based AuroraTM 3000 nephelometer
During the 2017 fire season, a number of purpose-built, mobile Ambilabs Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) across the West Coast, equipped with Aurora™ 3000 nephelometers to accurately monitor smoke and particulates in real time and help authorities manage air quality levels to keep its communities safe.
The Aurora™ range of integrating nephelometers measures the light scattering coefficient of ambient aerosol particles with high sensitivity and time resolution. Its measurement capabilities can be applied to a wide range of air pollution monitoring and climate science research, and is a vital instrument during fire seasons around the world.
Learn more: Aurora Nephelometers – Keeping communities safer during unprecedented Wilfires in the USA
Mediterranean Sea – Air quality and climate change study
Acoem Ecotech was proud to partner with some of the world’s most respected environmental research institutions to study air quality and climate change on the AQABA expedition around the Arabian Peninsula, conducted over a 40-day period between June and August 2017. The project’s goal was to gain a better understanding of the influence of air pollution on the natural environment.
Collaborative Air Quality and Climate Research Expedition Powered by Ecotech Instruments
High Altitude – Plane-based monitoring with the AuroraTM nephelometer
When Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in 2010, it caused enormous disruption to air travel across Western and Northern Europe. Ash from the volcanic eruption covered large areas of Northern Europe forcing 20 countries to close their airspace to commercial airline traffic, affecting some 10 million travellers. The Met Office — the UK’s national meteorological service — installed an Aurora 3000 nephelometer into the body of a small aircraft that was able to fly through the plumes at an altitude of 15,000 metres, to collect scattering measurements. Even under high altitude pressure, the Aurora was the instrument of choice.
Antarctica – Remote research expeditions with the AuroraTM 3000 & 4000 nephelometer
Aurora™ 3000 and 4000 nephelometers have been commissioned by the CSIRO — Australia’s national science agency — and various international projects on a number of research expeditions and permanent stations in Antarctica, including:
- The Investigator (Aurora 4000)
- BELATMOS Belgian project (Aurora 3000)
- Chinese Polar expedition (Aurora 4000)
- National Centre for Ocean & Antarctic Research, Goa (Aurora 3000)
Auroras operate successfully and accurately under extreme conditions including some of the coldest temperatures of earth and aboard ships in rough oceans.
For more information:
- Download the Aurora brochure here
- Meet Michael Zeng and Keith Webster live on the Acoem virtual booth at EGU 2021 between 22 and 30 April.
- Send us a message in the EGU Live Chat
- Attend the 30 min webinar about Aurora™ nephelometers on 28 Apr
- Contact Michael or Keith directly now at:
Michael Zeng
Acoem Head of International Sales
Based in Australia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-zeng-5ab041ba/
Keith Webster
Acoem Business Development Manager
Based in UK