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ACTRIS - short for Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure - is one of the "Landmark Research Infrastructures" of the "European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures" (ESFRI). The development of the pan-European infrastructure is supported in Germany by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Within ACTRIS, we operate stations to measure short-lived atmospheric trace substances and particles in Europe in order to answer scientific questions on climate change and air quality. The quality-assured data is made available to the public via an open data portal. The continuous measurements at the measuring stations are supplemented by process studies in simulation chambers.
Jülich is home to the JOYCE cloud observation station, which we operate together with researchers from the University of Cologne. At Forschungszentrum Jülich, process studies on air quality are carried out in the SAPHIR atmospheric simulation chambers and measurements of volatile organic substances and nitrogen oxides are quality-assured at the CiGAS calibration centre.
Scientific Services
ACTRIS provides quality-assured data that can be used freely by researchers and environmental authorities. In addition, the measuring stations, mobile measuring platforms and simulation chambers can be used to investigate specific scientific questions or to develop or validate new measuring techniques. The ACTRIS calibration centres ensure data quality and develop new measurement methods in collaboration with industrial partners.
Scientific Fields
The ACTRIS facilities measure atmospheric concentrations of short-lived trace gases, aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei and analyse atmospheric processes. They thus contribute to a better understanding of how these influence climate and air quality. The data is used to improve the predictions of chemical transport models and to validate new measurement techniques and satellite measurements.
Facilities / Instruments / Methods
ACTRIS comprises more than 100 measuring stations, simulation chambers and mobile measuring platforms in 22 European countries. The JOYCE cloud observation station, the SAPHIR simulation chambers and the CiGAS calibration centre are located in Jülich. A large number of measuring instruments are used for remote sensing or in-situ measurement of gas phase species, particle properties and cloud properties.
ACTRIS is organised as the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), which has its headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. 22 countries with 144 research institutes have joined the consortium so far. The ACTRIS data centre comprises more than 135 different measurement variables with a time resolution ranging from seconds to a week. Some data is made available in near-real time within a few hours of the measurement. Germany is one of the largest partners in the consortium with 12 calibration centres, 15 measuring stations, 5 mobile measuring platforms and 5 simulation chambers.
Information on Financing/Funding of the RI: ACTRIS is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the implementation and by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) for the operation.
Infrastructure
Partners and Cooperation
Connected Projects
Contact
Prof. Dr. Hendrik Fuchs
Deputy Director of ICE-3
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Building 05.2 /
Room 3022
Room 3022
+49 2461/61-6741
E-Mail
Dr. Anna Novelli
Senior Scientist Head of group "Photochemistry and Radicals"
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Building 05.2 /
Room 2032
Room 2032
+49 2461/61-6775
E-Mail
Dr. Ralf Tillmann
Senior Scientist Head of group "Organic Trace Gases"
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Building 05.2 /
Room 3024
Room 3024
+49 2461/61-6963
E-Mail
Dr. Robert Wegener
Senior Scientist Head of group "Energy Related Emissions"
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Building 05.2 /
Room 3053
Room 3053
+49 2461/61-6914
E-Mail
Dr. Max Gerrit Adam
Senior Scientist
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Building 05.2 /
Room 3051
Room 3051
+49 2461/61-6732
E-Mail
Reference publications
Laj, P., and Coauthors, 2024: Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS): The European Research Infrastructure Supporting Atmospheric Science. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 105, E1098–E1136, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0064.1
Last Modified: 17.04.2025