Comparability of atmospheric aerosol measurements and tracebility to international standards is of common interest for the scientific community. Furthermore regulatory authorities require quality controlled aerosol measurements to comply with legal requirements.
Since 2002, the departement "Experimental aerosol and cloud microphysics" of TROPOS hosts the World Calibration Center for Aerosol Physics (WCCAP) of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WCCAP is well established both in Europe and worldwide. It provides quality assurance for physical and optical aerosol measurements within GAW, ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure Network) and GUAN (German Ultrafine Aerosol Network).
Tasks of the WCCAP:
- Audits of measurement sites
- Inter-comparison and calibration workshops for aerosol instruments
- Training for station personal and scientists
- Consulting for new measurement sites
- Scientific evaluation of aerosol measurements
- Twinning partnerships for new measurement sites
- Development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for aerosol instruments
