Information and publicity
New research equipment arrived at BBU
The following research equipment has been delivered in recent months:
- Doppler Wind LIDAR
- Microwave radiometer for measuring humidity and temperature profiles
- Cloud radar
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer
- Chemical fume hood
- Condensation Particle Counter
- Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter
- Solar Monitoring Station that measures the different components of solar radiation
- All-sky Camera
- Meteorological station
ACTRIS-UBB at the European Researchers Night
On the last day of September, the ACTRIS-UBB team joined the European Researchers Night organized by the ReCoNnect2 Consortium in Cluj-Napoca.
During the day more than 600 people visited our Mobile Air Quality Laboratory to find out more about air pollution monitoring, the ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure, and its societal benefits and added value. People also received information on how to access local air quality measurements and how to protect themselves in case of air pollution.
Info Day on the establishment of ACTRIS ERIC
The Info Day on the establishment of ACTRIS ERIC reunited the European atmospheric research community on the 12th of September 2023 in Cluj-Napoca. The event promoted the Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS ERIC), officially established on the 25th of April, 2023.
The Info Day was attended by various representatives of the research community, local and national authorities, and the private sector to explore the benefits the ACTRIS facilities and services can offer locally and nationally.
Eija Juurola, Interim ACTRIS Leader, presented the European relevance of ACTRIS for atmospheric science. At the same time, Doina Nicolae, the National Contact Point for ACTRIS-RO, spoke about the ambition, challenges and expectations of ACTRIS in Romania. Nicolae Ajtai, the Principal Investigator of the ACTRIS NF in Cluj-Napoca, presented the ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure, highlighting its opportunities for excellent science, education and services for the local community.
Some of our main takeaways related to the potential benefits and added value that the ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure can offer to its stakeholders are as follows:
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- Ensuring transnational access to high-performance research infrastructures and other national and international networks (GEOSS, GAW);
- Issuing extreme air pollution warnings to decision-makers;
- Offering organizational and logistical support for various types of campaigns: intercomparison, testing, research, calibration, and validation;
- Assessing air quality;
- Understanding the impact of aerosols and clouds on climate change;
- Aerosol and cloud monitoring helps in identifying hazardous conditions that can affect aviation safety and air traffic management;
- Performing laboratory analyses in the fields of agriculture and forestry;
- Generating and disseminating high-quality environmental data;
- Assistance in carrying out the technology transfer to operational services and SMEs
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European Lidar Conference 2023
The 5th edition of the European Lidar Conference (ELC) will take place in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) from the 13th to the 15th of September 2023, hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University.
According to the already well-established tradition, ELC 2023 will offer experts from academia and the private sector many networking opportunities and long-term collaborations in the field of remote sensing.
Find out more about ELC 2023
The construction of the CARO Atmospheric Observatory was approved
Cluj-Napoca City Hall issued the construction permit for the Cluj Atmospheric Remote Sensing Observatory – CARO.
Several new research laboratories will be established within the CARO Observatory, equipped with state-of-art research equipment for observing and characterizing aerosols and cloud properties through advanced remote sensing methods.
The new infrastructure, which complements the existing research infrastructure at Babeș-Bolyai University regarding the composition of the atmosphere and climate change, will allow, among other things:
- Increasing Romania’s participation in European environmental research infrastructures and other continental and global programs by improving the quality and quantity of data sets collected locally in Cluj-Napoca
- Creating new employment opportunities and strengthening existing human resources within the Babeș-Bolyai University
- Strengthening the Babeș-Bolyai University’s position in Central and South-Eastern Europe, resulting in better regional cooperation and a better position to apply to and participate in national and HORIZON Europe projects.
The CARO observatory is realized through the project “Development of ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure with the aim of contributing to pan-European research on atmospheric composition and climate change”, co-financed by the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014-2020.
The ACTRIS-UBB mobile laboratory arrived to UBB
The ACTRIS-UBB mobile laboratory was received. The new mobile laboratory allows air quality monitoring through column and in situ investigations, being equipped with the following equipment:
- Aerosol LIDAR system, with a Nd:YAG type laser. The system is connected to a control unit inside the ACTRIS-UBB mobile laboratory, which allows the storage and processing of data measured in the field in real time. The equipment meets the quality requirements ACTRIS – AEROSOL REMOTE SENSING STATION.
- Compact meteorological station, which can measure the main meteorological parameters, such as: temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind direction and speed.
- Automatic measuring system for determining the concentration of particles in suspension fraction PM10 and / PM2.5.
- Gas analyzer system, composed of 6 individual analyzers, which allows the automatic determination of the concentrations of:
- Carbon monoxide (CO);
- Carbon dioxide (CO2);
- Nitrogen oxides (NO/NO2/NOx);
- Methane (CH4);
- Ozone (O3);
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
The ACTRIS-UBB mobile laboratory was delivered by INOESY SRL, based on the public procurement contract concluded between the company and Babeș-Bolyai University on 14.02.2022.
The development of the ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure begins
On 10.05.2022, the works contract was concluded between Babeș-Bolyai University and the Association TCI CONTRACTOR GENERAL S.A. and K&K STUDIO DE PROIECTARE SRL for the provision of design works and services, technical assistance, and execution of works to establish the Cluj Atmospheric Remote Sensing Observatory (CARO).
The new CARO Atmospheric Observatory will be built in Cluj-Napoca, on Uliului Street, a location that offers optimal conditions for remote sensing. Within the Observatory, 5 new laboratories will be established, equipped with various equipment to complement the existing research infrastructure on the composition of the atmosphere and climate change at Babeș-Bolyai University. These new facilities will ensure a higher degree of global competitiveness in the field of atmospheric remote sensing.
The CARO Atmospheric Observatory will also actively participate in the European environmental research infrastructure ACTRIS-RI. Furthermore, it will have the necessary equipment for continuous and long-term observations of aerosols and cloud properties, thus improving the quality and quantity of data sets collected locally in Cluj-Napoca.
The construction of the CARO Atmospheric Observatory is one of the main results of the project „Development of ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure with the aim of contributing to pan-European research on atmospheric composition and climate change” – SMIS code 126436, a reference project of the higher education institution, financed within the Competitiveness Operational Program.
ACTRIS-UBB project launch conference
The launch conference of the project „Development of ACTRIS-UBB infrastructure with the aim of contributing to pan-European research on atmospheric composition and climate change”, co-financed by the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014-2020, took place on 7 December 2020.
The conference aimed to present the objectives, activities and expected results of the project. ACTRIS RI and ACTRIS-RO Research Infrastructures were also presented at the conference.
Conference agenda:
Professor Daniel David, PhD., Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca: Opening speech.
Researcher I Doina Nicolae, PhD., ACTRIS-RO Coordinator, National Research and Development Institute for Optoelectronics INOE 2000 Bucharest: Presentation of the ACTRIS-RI research infrastructure.
Assistant Professor Eng. Nicolae Ajtai, PhD., ACTRIS-UBB Project Manager, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeș-Bolyai University: ACTRIS-UBB project presentation.