Eurotrac

The objectives of Eurotrac were to:

• Increase the basic knowledge in atmospheric science;
• Promote the technological development of sensitive, specific, and fast response instruments for environmental research and monitoring;
• Improve the scientific basis for future political decisions on environmental management in European countries.

EUROTRAC studied the impact of human activities on the troposphere over Europe, focusing on:

• The chemistry and transport of photo-oxidants (especially ozone) in the troposphere
• The processes leading to the formation of acidity in the atmosphere
• The uptake and release of atmospheric trace substances by the biosphere.

EUROTRAC{{Cite web |last1=Borell |first1=Peter |last2=Grennfelt |first2=Peringe |date=2000 |title=EUROTRAC: Organisation Structure and Achievements |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301107054}} was an interdisciplinary programme involving field experiments and campaigns, laboratory studies, comprehensive model developments and simulations, emission estimation, studies of biosphere/atmosphere exchange and the development of advanced instruments for laboratory and field measurements.

Fourteen projects were established as part of the EUROTRAC programme. Under each project, several subprojects and studies were carried out. Numerous articles and findings resulting from numerous studies have been presented at symposiums held during and after the EUROTRAC period. These articles can be found on websites like Springer, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft,{{Cite web |year=1997 |title=Transport and transformation of pollutants in the troposphere. Proceedings of EUROTRAC Symposium '96. Vol. 2: Emissions, deposition, laboratory work and instrumentation |url=https://publica.fraunhofer.de/entities/mainwork/ee8c0baf-acae-40c5-94a5-22c0373a4f28 |publisher=Fraunhofer Gesellschaft}} and ResearchGate. The 14 EUROTRAC projects were:

Cloud studies:

• ACE: Acidity in Cloud Experiments
• GCE: Ground Based Cloud Experiment{{Cite book |last=Fuzzi |first=Sandro |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |date=2000 |publisher=Springer Link |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=176–201 |chapter=GCE: An Overview of Ground-Based Cloud Experiments |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_9 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_9}}

Field measurements:

• ALPTRAC: High Alpine Air and Snow Chemistry{{Cite book |last=Wagenbach |first=Dietmar |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |date=2000 |publisher=Springer Link |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=160–175 |chapter=ALPTRAC: High Alpine Air and Snow Chemistry |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_8 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_8}}
• TOR: Tropospheric Ozone Research{{Cite web |last=Hov |first=Øystein |date=1991 |title=Norwegian Eurotrac Participaton - TOR-project |url=https://nilu.brage.unit.no/nilu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2717824/OR-17-91.pdf?sequence=1 |publisher=Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)}} {{Cite book |last=Hov |first=Øystein |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=202–238 |chapter=TOR: An Overview of Tropospheric Ozone Research |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_10 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_10}}
• TRACT: Transport of Pollutants over Complex Terrain{{Cite book |last1=Fiedler |first1=Franz |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |last2=Borrell |first2=Peter |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=239–283 |chapter=TRACT: Transport of Air Pollutants over Complex Terrain |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_11 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_11}}

Biosphere / Atmosphere exchange:

• ASE: Air-Sea Exchange{{Cite book |last=Larsen |first=Søren E. |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=285–293 |chapter=ASE: An Overview of the Air-Sea Exchange Subproject |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_12 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_12}}
• BIATEX: Biosphere-Atmosphere exchange of pollutants and Trace substances{{Cite book |last=Slanina |first=Sjaak |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=294–311 |chapter=BIATEX: Assessment and Achievements |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_13 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_13}}

Laboratory studies:

• HALIPP: Heterogeneous and Liquid Phase Processes{{Cite book |last=Warneck |first=Peter |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=313–328 |chapter=HALIPP: Heterogeneous and Liquid Phase Processes |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_14 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_14}}
• LACTOZ: Laboratory Studies of Chemistry Related to Tropospheric Ozone{{Cite book |last=Le Bras |first=Georges |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=329–342 |chapter=LACTOZ: Chemical Processes related to Tropospheric Ozone |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_15 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_15}}

Model development:

• EUMAC: European Modelling of Atmospheric Constituents{{Cite book |last=Ebel |first=Adolf |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |date=2000 |publisher=Springer Link |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=352–374 |chapter=EUMAC: European Modelling of Atmospheric Constituents |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_17 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_17}}
• GLOMAC: Global Modelling of Atmospheric Chemistry{{Cite book |last=Rodhe |first=Henning |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=387–398 |chapter=GLOMAC: An Overview of Global Atmospheric Chemistry Modelling |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_19 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_19}}

Instrument Development:

• JETDLAG: Joint European Development of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy for Measurement of Atmospheric Trace Gases{{Cite book |last=Brassington |first=David J. |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=400–413 |chapter=JETDLAG: Joint European Development of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy for the Measurement of Atmospheric Trace Gases |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_20 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_20}}
• TESLAS: Tropospheric Environmental Studies by Laser Sounding{{Cite book |last=Bösenberg |first=Jens |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |date=2000 |publisher=Springer Link |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=414–425 |chapter=TESLAS: Tropospheric Environmental Studies by Laser Sounding |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_21 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_21}}
• TOPAS:  Tropospheric Optical Absorption Spectroscopy{{Cite book |last=Simon |first=Paul C. |title=Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere |publisher=Springer Link |year=2000 |isbn=978-3-642-64097-1 |pages=426–439 |chapter=TOPAS: Tropospheric Optical Absorption Spectroscopy |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_22 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-59718-3_22}}

EUROTRAC was a science-driven, "bottom-up" research programme, where the scientist involved in the programme proposed research projects. The scientist had to seek funding themselves, primarily through their national funding sources. In some cases also the European Commission contributed to the funding.

In order to become a EUROTRAC-project, the project proposals had to be evaluated by the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) and finally approved by the Internation Executive Committee (IEC).{{Cite web |last=Borrell |first=Peter |date=2000 |title=Transport And Chemical Transformation Of Pollutants In The Troposphere: An Overview Of The Work Of Eurotrac |url=https://vdoc.pub/download/transport-and-chemical-transformation-of-pollutants-in-the-troposphere-an-overview-of-the-work-of-eurotrac-a6v46q3oe2e0 |website=www.witpress.com}}

EUROTRAC was headed by an International Executive Committee (IEC). IEC consisted of one representative from each member country. IEC approved the subproject proposals and appointed members to the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). SSC reviewed the subproject proposals and the progress and results of the individual subprojects. The International Scientific Secretariat (ISS) coordinated the EUROTRAC project. The ISS was operated by Fraunhofer Institute for Atmospheric Research (Fraunhofer Institut für Atmosphärische Umweltforschung - IFU), located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany).

After ending the first phase of EUROTRAC (1988-1995, described above), EUROTRAC-2{{Cite web |date=2005 |title=Network of scientists is the driving force in EU air pollution policy |url=https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/95443-network-of-scientists-is-the-driving-force-in-eu-air-pollution-policy |website=European Commission}} was initiated in 1996. During the second phase, 25 countries and more than 300 research groups were involved.

Category:Science

Category:European research networks

Category:Research projects