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GAW station in Argentina, concerning the surface ozone
programme (calibration and data validation/evaluation software)
and data acquisition system management. This ‘twinning’ is rein-
forced by the implementation of a long-term ozonesonde
programme at Ushuaia, in collaboration with the Servicio
Meterolológico Nacional (SMN, Argentina); the Tierra del Fuego
Government (Argentina) and the Instituto de Técnica Aeroespacial
(INTA, Spain).
In addition, a close ‘twinning’ partnership between the Izaña-
ARC and the Tamanrasset-Assekrem GAW station (Algeria) was
initiated in September 2006. A Cimel sunphotometer was deployed
at this station under the joint SALAM project with the Office
National de la Meteorologie (ONM, Algeria) to characterize the
Saharan air layer. This instrument has been integrated into the
PHOTONS and AERONET networks. This collaboration is
currently being reinforced thanks to the Agencia Española de
Cooperación Internacional (AECI, Azahar programme), which has
financed a double Brewer spectrophotometer for the
Tamanrasset station and a multi-channel moderate
bandwidth radiometer for the Assekrem station. This
new infrastructure, situated in a strategic site in the
middle of the Sahara, will fill an important gap in the
GAW observational capacity, and will constitute a
unique ozone, UV and aerosol ground-truthing facil-
ity for space-based sensors.
The AECI has also financed, through WMO Trust
Funds, three Cimel sunphotometers that will be
deployed by the Izaña-ARC in Egypt, Tunisia and
Morocco in 2008. These three new stations in the
Magreb region, together with the existing station at
Tamanrasset, will reinforce the real-time monitoring
system of the SDS WS for Europe, Africa and the
Middle East. These new stations will also be integrated
into the AERONET and PHOTONS networks.
Intercomparison of instruments at the Izaña super-site terrace
Photo: INM
N
ATIONAL
& R
EGIONAL
R
EPORTS