Localisation
Lat : -21.0796°S, Lon : 55.3841°E, Alt : 2154m above sea level
Sampling height: 6 m above ground level
Description
OPAR (Observatoire de Physique de l’Atmosphere de la Réunion) was officially created in February 2003, although atmospheric measurements by lidar, radiosounding and spectrometers began in 1992-1993. Monitoring critical parameters of the atmosphere and climate is increasingly on the agenda. It is particularly important to include in the long term the monitoring of the evolution of large-scale transport mechanisms and of the composition of the atmosphere, particularly in the southern hemisphere where observations are extremely few. It is in the context of participation in several international observation networks such as the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes), ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System), TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network), ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) and GAW (Global Atmospheric Watching) that the observations made are positioned at OPAR.
To increase and sustain the observations (dynamic and chemical) of the atmosphere begun in the 90s in Reunion, the atmospheric observatory of Maïdo (2200 m altitude) was built in the west of Isle. The construction of this building was financed by the Réunion Region, France and the European Union. To manage this new infrastructure, the University of Réunion has set up, jointly with the INSU-CNRS, an Observatory of Sciences of the Universe (OSU-Réunion). This structure is also intended to federate research in the field of sciences of the universe, beyond the atmospheric aspects alone.
The OPAR now has 3 separate measurement sites in Réunion: the historic site on the Moufia campus, Gillot airport for radiosounding and UHF radar and finally the new Maïdo observation station.
Measured species
In situ and continuous : CO2, CH4, CO
Total columns : CO2, CH4, CO
Contact
M. Lopez, M. Ramonet, J.M. Metzger
Organisation
Site Web
Relevant publications
Baray, J.-L., Y. Courcoux, P. Keckhut, T. Portafaix, P. Tulet, J.-P. Cammas, A. Hauchecorne, S. Godin-Beekmann, M. De Mazière, C. Hermans, et al. (2013), Maïdo observatory: a new high-altitude station facility at Reunion Island (21° S, 55° E) for long-term atmospheric remote sensing and in situ measurements, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 6(10), 2865-2877, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2865-2013.
Zhou, M., B. Langerock, C. Vigouroux, M. K. Sha, M. Ramonet, M. Delmotte, E. Mahieu, W. Bader, C. Hermans, N. Kumps, J.-M. Metzger, V. Duflot, Z. Wang, M. Palm, and M. De Mazière (2018), Atmospheric CO and CH4 time series and seasonal variations on Reunion Island from ground-based in situ and FTIR (NDACC and TCCON) measurements, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18(19), 13881-13901, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-13881-2018.