Finokalia Atmospheric Observatory

The Finokalia atmospheric monitoring station is operated by the Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL) of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Crete.

The observatory is located at Finokalia, Lasithi (35° 20’N, 25° 40’A), in the Municipality of Ag. Nikolaos in the northern part of Crete. At an altitude of 250 m, close to the coastline, the site has a seamless front to the sea from East to West. No significant human activities are observed in the vicinity of the station at a distance closer than 15 km.

Site Details
Short name: FKL
ILTER ID: LTER_EU_GR_006
Year est.: 1993
Location: Finokalias, Crete, Greece
Elevation (m.a.s.l.): 250

Contact Info
Prof. Nikos Mihalopoulos , Prof. Maria Kanakidou
mihalo@uoc.gr, mariak@uoc.gr
Heraklion, Crete, Greece
finokalia.chemistry.uoc.gr
+30-281054 5162/5033

Research Topics

Atmospheric Chemistry

Atmospheric Physics

Climate Change

Air quality

Meteorology

Chemical oceanography

Biogeochemistry

Ecotoxicology

Environmental health

Partners

Key Scientific and Societal Questions

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

What are the chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere observed at Finokalia in the East Mediterranean?
How are these properties changing with time?
Which processes are altering atmospheric properties in the East Mediterranean and how are they compared to other locations around the world?
How the atmospheric properties change in near-real time?

Climate Change

How do the atmospheric essential climate variables monitored at Finokalia change with time ?
How do the concentrations of green house gases change with time?
What are the key drivers of these changes?
How is the extinction of solar radiation changing with time?
What is the climate impact of atmospheric composition changes driven by human activities?
How are the meteorological conditions changing in Eastern Mediterranean ?

Biogeochemical cycles

How atmospheric processes are affecting the quality and the fluxes of atmospheric deposition of trace compounds?
What is the contribution of human activities to atmospheric deposition of nutrients?
How important is atmospheric deposition for the element biogeochemical cycles?
What is the impact of atmospheric deposition of nutrients onto the land and ocean ecosystems and on C-sequestration?
How the changes in atmospheric deposition affect changes in ecosystems and climate?

Air quality

What are the main pollution sources in the Eastern Mediterranean?
How is the air quality in Eastern Mediterranean changing as a result of human activities and natural variations?
Which of the changes in atmospheric composition can be attributed to human activities?
What is the environmental impact of atmospheric composition changes driven by human activities?
Can the trends in atmospheric composition be related to socioeconomic conditions and policies applied?
How is transnational atmospheric pollution affecting the Eastern Mediterranean?
How atmospheric acidity (acid rain and acidity of atmospheric aerosols) in the area is changing with time ?
How do human activities affect atmospheric acidity?
What is the impact of air quality on health?

Success Stories

Saharan Dust Outbreaks Atmospheric Composition Changes

Saharan Dust Outbreaks

Finokalia is located in the Eastern Mediterranean region that is characterized by two distinct seasons: the dry season (from April to September), with increased levels of pollution being transported from Europe and Turkey, and the wet season (from October to April) with lower pollution loads. Significant dust transport from the deserts of North Africa is observed when south winds dominate.

Sahara dust outbreaks result in high PM₁₀ levels in Crete as recorded at Finokalia. During the last 15 years the highest 5-minutes value recorded was 6340 μg/m³on March 22, 2018. Such events impact visibility and human health, in particular when they carry pathogens. In parallel, they can fertilize ecosystems by deposition of nutrients. PM₁₀ concentrations in Eastern Mediterranean overall are frequently dominated by desert dust.

Environmental and Climate Impacts of Atmospheric Composition Changes

Finokalia station started operating in 1993 with aerosol chemical composition observations, followed by meteorological parameters measurements (in 1996) and ozone (O₃) observations (in 1997). The scientific interest in understanding atmospheric composition changes driven by human activities and their environmental and climate impacts, motivated the increase of the observations performed.

Such observations include in addition to O₃ and aerosol chemical composition (ions, metals, organics), reactive gases (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, PM₁₀ (continuous since 2004), greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane), radon and thoron observations.

Biomass burning and traffic combustion produce black carbon aerosol that is harmful for health and is also warming the atmosphere. Open fires impact is seen both from satellites and in-situ measurements.

Aerosol light extinction (absorption, scattering), aerosol optical depth and aerosol size distribution observations provide insight to the aerosol physical properties of interest for climate and health.

Ions, metals, water soluble organics and nutrients are also measured in rainwater and dry deposition to support studies of the biogeochemical cycles and of human impacts on ecosystems.

These observations are complemented by targeted state-of-the art measurements performed by national and international collaborators during intensive field campaigns in the frame of research projects.

Publications

Kalivitis N., V.-M. Kerminen, G. Kouvarakis, I. Stavroulas, E. Tzitzikalaki, P. Kalkavouras, N. Daskalakis, S. Myriokefalitakis, A. Bougiatioti, H. E. Manninen, P. Roldin, T. Petaja, M. Boy, M. Kulmala, M. Kanakidou and N. Mihalopoulos, Formation and growth of atmospheric nanoparticles in the eastern Mediterranean: Results from long-term measurements and process simulations, , Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19(4), 2671-2686, 2019.
Kanakidou M., Myriokefalitakis S., and Tsagkaraki M.: Atmospheric inputs of nutrients to the Mediterranean Sea, Deep-Sea Research Part II, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.06.014, 2019.
Bougiatioti A., P. Nikolaou, I. Stavroulas, G. Kouvarakis, A. Nenes, R. Weber, M. Kanakidou, and N. Mihalopoulos, Particle water and pH in the Eastern Mediterranean: sources variability and implications for nutrients availability, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4579-4591, 2016.
Myriokefalitakis S., N. Daskalakis, G.S. Fanourgakis, A. Voulgarakis, M.C. Krol, J.M.J. Aan de Brugh, M. Kanakidou, Ozone and carbon monoxide budgets over the Eastern Mediterranean, Science of the Total Environment, 563–564, 40–52, 2016.
Kalivitis N. V.-M. Kerminen, G. Kouvarakis, I. Stavroulas, A. Bougiatioti, A. Nenes, H. E. Manninen, T. Petäjä, M. Kulmala, and N. Mihalopoulos, Atmospheric new particle formation as a source of CCN in the eastern Mediterranean marine boundary layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 9203–9215, 2015.
Bougiatioti A., I. Stavroulas, E. Kostenidou, P. Zarmpas, C. Theodosi, G. Kouvarakis, F. Canonaco, A. S. H. Prévôt, A. Nenes, S. N. Pandis, and N. Mihalopoulos, Processing of biomass-burning aerosol in the eastern Mediterranean during summertime, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 4793–4807, 2014.
Gerasopoulos E., S. Kazadzis, M. Vrekoussis, G. Kouvarakis, E. Liakakou, N. Kouremeti, D. Giannadaki, M. Kanakidou, B. Bohn, and N. Mihalopoulos, Factors affecting O3 and NO2 photolysis frequencies measured in the eastern Mediterranean during the five-year, period 2002–2006, Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 117, 2012.
Kalivitis N.,, I. Stavroulas, A. Bougiatioti, G. Kouvarakis, S. Gagne, H. E. Manninen, M. Kulmala, and . Mihalopoulos, Night-time enhanced atmospheric ion concentrations n the marine boundary layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 3627–3638, 2012..
Bougiatioti A., A. Nenes, C. Fountoukis, N. Kalivitis, S. N. Pandis, and N. Mihalopoulos, Size-resolved CCN distributions and activation kinetics of aged continental and marine aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 8791–8808, 2011.
Kalivitis N., A. Bougiatioti, G. Kouvarakis, N. Mihalopoulos, Long term measurements of atmospheric aerosol optical properties in the Eastern Mediterranean, Atmospheric Research, 2,351–357, 2011.
Kanakidou M., Mihalopoulos N., Kindap T., Im U., Vrekoussis M., Gerasopoulos E., Dermitzaki E., Unal A., Kocak M., Markakis K., Melas D., Kouvarakis G., Youssef A.F., Richter A., Hatzianastassiou N., Hilboll A., Ebojie F., Wittrock F, von Savigny C., Burrows J.P., Megacities as hot spots of air pollution in the East Mediterranean, Atmospheric Environment, 45, 1223-1235, 2011.
Nenes A., M. D. Krom, N. Mihalopoulos, P. Van Cappellen, Z. Shi, A. Bougiatioti, P. Zarmpas, and B. Herut, Atmospheric acidification of mineral aerosols: a source of bioavailable phosphorus for the oceans, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 6265–6272, 2011.
Bougiatioti A., C. Fountoukis, N. Kalivitis, S. N. Pandis, A. Nenes, and N. Mihalopoulos, Cloud condensation nuclei measurements in the marine boundary layer of the Eastern Mediterranean: CCN closure and droplet growth kinetics, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 7053-7066, 2009.
Querol X., A. Alastuey, J. Pey, M. Cusack, N. Perez, N. Mihalopoulos, C. Theodosi, E. Gerasopoulos, N. Kubilay, and M. Kocak, Variability in regional background aerosols within the Mediterranean, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 4575-4591, 2009.
Kalivitis N., W. Birmili, M. Stock, B. Wehner, A. Massling, A. Wiedensohler, E. Gerasopoulos, and N. Mihalopoulos, Particle size distributions in the Eastern Mediterranean troposphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 6729-6738, 2008.
Kalivitis N., E. Gerasopoulos, M. Vrekoussis., G. Kouvarakis, N. Kubilay, N. Hatzianastassiou., I. Vardavas, N. Mihalopoulos, Dust transport over the Dust transport over the eastern Mediterranean derived from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, Aerosol Robotic Network, and surface measurements J. Geophys. Res., 112, D03202, 2006JD007510, 2007.
Mihalopoulos N., V.M. Kerminen, M. Kanakidou, H. Berresheim, J. Sciare, Formation of particulate sulfur species (sulfate and methanesulfonate) during summer over the Eastern Mediterranean: A modelling approach, Atmospheric Environment, Volume 41, Issue 32, 6860-6871, 2007.
Kouvarakis G., and N. Mihalopoulos, Seasonal variation of dimethylsulfide in the gas phase and of methanesulfonate and non-sea-salt sulfate in the aerosol phase measured in the Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere, Atmos. Environ., 36, 929-938, 2002.
Lelieveld J., Berresheim H., Borrmann S., Crutzen P. J., Dentener F. J., Fischer H., Feichter J., Flatau P. J., Heland J., Holzinger R., Korrmann R., Lawrence M. G., Levin Z., Markowicz K. M., Mihalopoulos N., Minikin A., Ramanathan V., de Reus M., Roelofs G. J., Scheeren H. A., Sciare J., Schlager H., Schultz M., Siegmund P., Steil B., Stephanou E. G., Stier P., Traub M., Warneke C., Williams J., Ziereis H., Global Air Pollution Crossroads over the Mediterranean, Science, 298, 794-799, 2002.