Objective
The objective of the proposed STAR project (Support for Tropical Atmospheric Research) is to strengthen the European contribution to the global observation system, and to support international cooperation in setting up these observation systems in the tropics. It is a joint effort of European, Japanese, and American research groups to establish a shared atmospheric observatory in Paramaribo, Suriname at the northern coast of South America at 5.8°N and 55.2°W. The location of the observatory is unique because of the fact that it lays very closet the Equator, at a location in the middle of the annual migration range of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Hence air from both hemispheres can be sampled at different times of the year. The station fills in unimportant gap in the global atmospheric observatory network. The proposed project will facilitate access of European and other research groups to the observatory, enhance the technical capabilities of the site, build capacity for global change research in the tropics and improve the conditions for the execution of a long-term observational program. The project will contribute tithe implementation of the FP6 work program and support international networks and programs like the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) program, GCOS, the WCRP SPARC project, and the NDSC and SHADOZ networks. The proposed STAR project involves
(1) a significant upgrading of the site to be able to host additional instruments and visiting scientist,
(2) development of a site coordination plan,
(3) short pilot studies to assess the feasibility and requirements of operating several additional instruments at the site;
(4) the development of program to intensify the collaboration between local scientists and the other partners of the Paramaribo observatory, and
(5) the retrieval and homogenisation of historical observational data from the region.
Call for proposal
FP6-2002-GLOBAL-1
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Funding Scheme
SSA - Specific Support ActionCoordinator
DE BILT
Netherlands