The ENEA Station for Climate Observations on the island of Lampedusa is a research facility in the Mediterranean dedicated to measurements of climatic parameters.
Lampedusa is a small rocky island (about 20 km2) relatively far from continents and pollution sources. Its geographic characteristics make Lampedusa a good site for satellite data validation, for study of aerosol and greenhouse gases background distribution and long-range transport, for investigation of the radiation budget and regional climate in the Mediterranean.
The Station for Climate Observations is an integrated Atmospheric/Oceanographic Observatory composed by two sections:
- a ground-based Atmospheric Observatory (35.52°N, 12.63°E) operational since 1997, dedicated to the investigation of changes in atmospheric composition and structure, and their effects on the surface radiation;
- an Oceanographic Observatory (35.49°N, 12.47°E) installed in August 2015, dedicated to the investigation of air-sea interactions and for ground-truth of satellite observations.
The Atmospheric Observatory is equipped with active and passive remote sensing instruments (including an aerosol/Raman lidar, sun-photometers, broadband radiometers, a Brewer spectrophotometer, a microwave radiometer), as well as in situ instruments (gas analyzers, aerosol sampler, etc.).
Measurements from Lampedusa contribute to several international measurement networks (e.g., AERONET, ICOS, EMSO, NOAA Cooperative Air Sampling Network, WMO Global Atmosphere Watch, etc). Data acquired at Lampedusa have been used in more than 150 international peer reviewed papers.
In the frame of national collaborations, measurements at Lampedusa are carried out also in collaboration with University of Rome Sapienza and University of Florence, CNR, and INGV.
For more information please visit www.lampedusa.enea.it
Contact persons:
- Dr. Alcide Di Sarra: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Dr. Giandomenico Pace: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.