Nitrogen dioxide
Max DOAS Penteli Station
Remote atmospheric sensing
MAX-DOAS observations over the Athens basin
The MAX-DOAS instrument is installed at the National Observatory of Athens in Penteli and measures the horizontal and vertical distribution of atmospheric trace gases.
The system operates in collaboration with the University of Bremen and forms part of the BREDOM network for ground-based atmospheric measurements.
Visit the BREDOM network
527 m
Elevation above sea level
38.05°N
23.86°E
Multiple
Viewing directions
Athens
Full basin coverage
Instrument configuration
Flexible multi-axis spectral measurements
The instrument consists of a telescope unit connected to a grating spectrometer equipped with a cooled CCD detector.
The telescope is mounted on a pan-tilt head, allowing observations in multiple azimuth and elevation directions across the sky.
Routine spectral measurements provide information on the spatial distribution of atmospheric pollutants and aerosol layers.
Atmospheric measurements
Trace gases and aerosol profiles
Measurements at different viewing angles provide information on atmospheric composition and vertical structure across the Athens basin.
Formaldehyde
Glyoxal
Oxygen dimer
Aerosol vertical-profile retrieval
O4 slant-column density measurements at different elevation angles are used as input to the BOREAS retrieval algorithm to calculate the vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols.
Observation geometry
Multiple viewing directions
The MAX-DOAS system performs measurements at different azimuth and elevation angles, allowing comparison between urban and remote atmospheric conditions.
This configuration provides extensive coverage of the Athens basin and supports analysis of pollutant transport and spatial variability.
MAX-DOAS view towards the southern urban sector of Athens.
Daily slant-column density values for NO2, HCHO and CHOCHO under different wind and viewing conditions.