ABC Pyramid

  A scientific laboratory for the study of atmospheric composition change and climate

Since March, 16th data gathered by ABC-Pyramid, the highest atmospheric pollution monitoring station in the world, have been published on the web. They are updated in real time. This is possible thanks to the high technology system installed by Ev-K²-CNR last month at an altitude of 5,079 m (16,663 ft.) a.s.l., near the Pyramid Laboratory-Observatory, in Nepal.

ABC Pyramid has been officially included as a Complimentary Site in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Project Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC). 
The station collects data on the atmospheric composition of the skies over the Himalaya and the Central Asia, providing essential information regarding the circulation of pollutants and aerosols.

Data collection is  regularly supervised by the Pyramid Laboratory, which transmits the information in real time to the CNR Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (Isac) in Italy by the means of a satellite system. Isac, in his turn, publishes the data in the “Real time� section of the website shown in the border, for the benefit of researchers, scientists and general public that can consult them free.

On March 28, 2006 CIMEL sensor tests began at the Pyramid Laboratory. CIMEL is a sunphotometer that provide a characterization of the optical and microphysical properties of atmospheric aerosols. High aerosol concentrations reduce water cloud’s ability to dissipate by turning into rain. This sensor is part of AERONET, the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network, an international network composed of more than a hundred of sunphotometers that covers a big part of Earth.

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P.Bonasoni, chief researcher

Shelter Abc Pyramid

Abc Pyramid instruments

The South Asian region is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Moreover, during the last decades an impressive economic development has interested this region, with important effects on  the environment.

In order to thoroughly evaluate the environmental consequences of this development, not only on a local scale, the monitoring of atmospheric composition at high altitudes can play a relevant role.

For these reasons, and in order to make up for a lack of environmental information at high altitude in the region, this remote aerosol monitoring station has been installed in the Khumbu valley of Nepal  within the framework of the Ev-K²-CNR SHARE-Asia (Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment in Asia) program and as a contribution to UNEP’s Project Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC).  The station has in fact been named an ABC Complimentary Site by the UNEP ABC Science Team and Steering Committee.

As explained by Ev-K²-CNR lead researcher on the project, Prof. Paolo Bonasoni of the CNR Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, this monitoring station was designed to perform continuous measurements of chemical, physical and optical properties of aerosol and tropospheric ozone, as well as non-continuous measurements of halocarbons and other greenhouse gases.  

Thus, this station, controlled by a remote satellite connection and designed to operate long-term in extremely adverse weather conditions, represents a unique source of data for evaluating the background conditions of the free troposphere, for quantifying the pollution levels at high altitudes of the Himalayan ridges, between India and China, and for studying regional and long-range air mass transport of natural and anthropogenic compounds.

The ABC-PYRAMID team, currently working between Italy and Nepal on installation of this advanced equipment also include the researchers P. Laj, P. Bonafè, F. Calzolari, P. Cristofanelli, F. Evangelisti, A. Marinoni, F. Roccato, MC. Facchini, S. Fuzzi, GP. Gobbi, JM. Pichon, H. Venzac, K. Sellegri, P. Villani, M. Maione, J. Arduini, A. Petzold, M. Sprenger, G.Tartari, GP. Verza and E. Vuillermoz.