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OPAR

La Reunion

Infrastructure

Observatory of Atmospheric Physics in Reunion, participating in OSUR

OPAR is the Observatory for Atmospheric Physics in Reunion, and includes :
– the Maïdo atmospheric observatory at an altitude of 2160m
– observation rooms on the Moufia university campus, the Gillot meteorological station and the Météo-France site.

Contact

Jean-Pierre CAMMAS | Director

jean-pierre.cammas@univ-reunion.fr

+262(0) 262 93 82 18

University of Reunion Island 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003 97744 SAINT-DENIS CEDEX 9

http://osur.univ-reunion.fr/ observations/opar/

Research domains
OPAR’s research topics are linked to the study of atmospheric processes, climate
and climate change. All the characteristics of OPAR’s geographic situation (southern hemisphere, subtropical zone, in the west of the Indian Ocean basin, altitude of 2160m, on the leeward side of the island) are assets, making OPAR a strategic and internationally-important atmospheric observatory.
- OPAR’s main mission is to contribute to the work of several international networks monitoring the atmospheric system and climate : NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes) SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere AdDitional OZonesondes) AERONET (Aerososols Robotic Network)
  ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observing System) TCCON (Total Column Carbon Observing Network) ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) and GAW/ WMO (Global Atmospheric Watching / World Meteorological Organization). In this context, its mission is to conduct long-term observations of atmospheric and climatic parameters recommended by these networks. The observations are officially certified and comply with specific criteria on their frequency, accuracy and duration. They are added to the international networks’ databases, which can be freely accessed by research communities working on the atmosphere
  and climate.
- OPAR’s second mission involves research on atmospheric and climatic
  processes specific to the south-western Indian Ocean. To fulfil this mission, OPAR organises experimental campaigns through national and international partnerships with phases of intensive observation devoted to studying one or more atmospheric processes. The aims of these campaigns might vary and include interface interactions (ocean-atmosphere, biosphere-atmosphere, troposphere-stratosphere), the dynamics and composition of the UTLS (Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere) zone, the study of deep atmospheric convection, large-scale movements of atmospheric pollutants, the processes associated with restoring the stratospheric ozone layer, etc.
- OPAR’s third mission is to take part in European action for transnational
  access to research facilities. As such, OPAR takes part in European projects :
  H2020 ACTRIS2 (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure) and
  ENVRIplus (Environmental Research Infrastructures Providing Shared Solutions
  for Science and Society). TNA (TransNational Access) aspects of these two projects enables international researchers (based outside of France) to answer permanent calls for projects to access the Maïdo atmospheric observatory and to conduct research projects and observation campaigns in collaboration with OPAR laboratories. Financial support is provided to co-fund the scientists’ missions (flights, per diem costs) and transport of their equipment if required.
Key research projects

OPAR’s partners work on several major research programmes to improve our
understanding of tropical atmospheric processes and climate change :
– stratospheric ozone layer : tracking patterns and restoring the ozone layer in the tropics and meridian transfer processes
– stratospheric aerosols : origins, radiation and chemical impacts, monitoring trends
– composition and dynamics of the UTLS (Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere) zone : roles of ozone, water vapour and species with short lifespans
– large-scale movements of atmospheric pollutants into the troposphere :
origins, radiation and chemical impacts, monitoring of patterns
– atmospheric convection and tropical cyclogenesis processes
– ocean-atmosphere and biosphere-atmosphere interactions : roles of marine and biogenic aerosols
Main facilities

OPAR is made up of a number of technical support centres.

The Moufia atmospheric station on the university campus host a number of instruments for monitoring atmospheric composition :
two spectrometers in the IR and UV solar radiation ranges, a radiometer for the total ozone column, a photometer and a lidar for atmospheric aerosol profiles, an instrument for in-situ greenhouse gas measurements (CO2, CH4, H2O).

Collaboration with Météo-France , we were granted the opportunity to use the Gillot station being used to carry out weekly radio probes of ozone and meteorological parameters.

Lastly, since late 2012, the Maïdo atmospheric observatory, which sits at an altitude of 2160 m, has hosted a wide-ranging collection of instruments.

Other instruments provide data on electric cloud activity in the Indian Ocean basin : a VHF antenna is part of a global network to detect and localise lightning, while an ultra-rapid and sensitive camera detects transitory light events between the summits of convective clouds and the upper atmosphere.
Main scientific collaboration
- Pierre Simon Laplace Institute (Paris) : LATMOS (atmosphere, environments, spatial observation), LSCE (Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences)
- LMD (Dynamic Meteorology Laboratory) SIRTA (Instrumental research by atmospheric remote-sensing site)
- Midi Pyrénées Observatory, Toulouse (http://www.omp.obs-mip.fr) : Atmospheric sounding laboratory http://www.aero.obs-mip.fr National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM,Toulouse)
  – Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics (LOA, Lille)
  – Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (Brussels)
  – Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland,
  – National Administration for Space and Aeronautics, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA GSFC
  – National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
  – Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR,Pretoria, South Africa)
- New partnerships
  – WMO GCOS GRUAN (World Meteorological Organization, Global
  Climate Observing System, GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network)
  – WMO GAW (Global Atmospheric Watching)

OPAR’s research topics are linked to the study of atmospheric processes, climate
and climate change. All the characteristics of OPAR’s geographic situation (southern hemisphere, subtropical zone, in the west of the Indian Ocean basin, altitude of 2160m, on the leeward side of the island) are assets, making OPAR a strategic and internationally-important atmospheric observatory.

OPAR’s main mission is to contribute to the work of several international networks monitoring the atmospheric system and climate : NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes) SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere AdDitional OZonesondes) AERONET (Aerososols Robotic Network)
ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observing System) TCCON (Total Column Carbon Observing Network) ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) and GAW/ WMO (Global Atmospheric Watching / World Meteorological Organization). In this context, its mission is to conduct long-term observations of atmospheric and climatic parameters recommended by these networks. The observations are officially certified and comply with specific criteria on their frequency, accuracy and duration. They are added to the international networks’ databases, which can be freely accessed by research communities working on the atmosphere
and climate.
OPAR’s second mission involves research on atmospheric and climatic
processes specific to the south-western Indian Ocean. To fulfil this mission, OPAR organises experimental campaigns through national and international partnerships with phases of intensive observation devoted to studying one or more atmospheric processes. The aims of these campaigns might vary and include interface interactions (ocean-atmosphere, biosphere-atmosphere, troposphere-stratosphere), the dynamics and composition of the UTLS (Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere) zone, the study of deep atmospheric convection, large-scale movements of atmospheric pollutants, the processes associated with restoring the stratospheric ozone layer, etc.
OPAR’s third mission is to take part in European action for transnational
access to research facilities. As such, OPAR takes part in European projects :
H2020 ACTRIS2 (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure) and
ENVRIplus (Environmental Research Infrastructures Providing Shared Solutions
for Science and Society). TNA (TransNational Access) aspects of these two projects enables international researchers (based outside of France) to answer permanent calls for projects to access the Maïdo atmospheric observatory and to conduct research projects and observation campaigns in collaboration with OPAR laboratories. Financial support is provided to co-fund the scientists’ missions (flights, per diem costs) and transport of their equipment if required.

OPAR’s partners work on several major research programmes to improve our
understanding of tropical atmospheric processes and climate change :
– stratospheric ozone layer : tracking patterns and restoring the ozone layer in the tropics and meridian transfer processes
– stratospheric aerosols : origins, radiation and chemical impacts, monitoring trends
– composition and dynamics of the UTLS (Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere) zone : roles of ozone, water vapour and species with short lifespans
– large-scale movements of atmospheric pollutants into the troposphere :
origins, radiation and chemical impacts, monitoring of patterns
– atmospheric convection and tropical cyclogenesis processes
– ocean-atmosphere and biosphere-atmosphere interactions : roles of marine and biogenic aerosols

OPAR is made up of a number of technical support centres.

The Moufia atmospheric station on the university campus host a number of instruments for monitoring atmospheric composition :
two spectrometers in the IR and UV solar radiation ranges, a radiometer for the total ozone column, a photometer and a lidar for atmospheric aerosol profiles, an instrument for in-situ greenhouse gas measurements (CO2, CH4, H2O).

Collaboration with Météo-France , we were granted the opportunity to use the Gillot station being used to carry out weekly radio probes of ozone and meteorological parameters.

Lastly, since late 2012, the Maïdo atmospheric observatory, which sits at an altitude of 2160 m, has hosted a wide-ranging collection of instruments.

Other instruments provide data on electric cloud activity in the Indian Ocean basin : a VHF antenna is part of a global network to detect and localise lightning, while an ultra-rapid and sensitive camera detects transitory light events between the summits of convective clouds and the upper atmosphere.

Pierre Simon Laplace Institute (Paris) : LATMOS (atmosphere, environments, spatial observation), LSCE (Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences)
LMD (Dynamic Meteorology Laboratory) SIRTA (Instrumental research by atmospheric remote-sensing site)
Midi Pyrénées Observatory, Toulouse (http://www.omp.obs-mip.fr) : Atmospheric sounding laboratory http://www.aero.obs-mip.fr National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM,Toulouse)
– Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics (LOA, Lille)
– Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (Brussels)
– Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland,
– National Administration for Space and Aeronautics, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA GSFC
– National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
– Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR,Pretoria, South Africa)
New partnerships
– WMO GCOS GRUAN (World Meteorological Organization, Global
Climate Observing System, GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network)
– WMO GAW (Global Atmospheric Watching)