Eleven new stations receive ICOS label

11 more stations have passed the rigorous ICOS quality assurance process for standardised data production. Two of the stations are the first UK stations to receive the ICOS label. After the new labels, altogether 91 out of 148 ICOS measurement stations have been standardised for greenhouse gas measurements.

Stations receiving ICOS label on the 17th of November:

• Class 1 Ecosystem station Auchencorth Moss & Class 2 Atmosphere Station Weybourne in the UK
• Class 1 Ecosystem Station Sorø, Associated Ecosystem Stations Nuuk Fen & Skjern in Denmark
• Class 2 Ecosystem Stations Grignon & Puechabon and Associated Ecosystem Station Toulouse in France
• Class 2 Atmosphere Stations Jülich Observatory & Westerland in Germany
• Class 2 Ecosystem Station Renon in Italy
  

Warm congratulations to all! 

Read more about how peatland responds to changing climate, as observed at the newly labelled Auchencorth Moss station.

ICOS at COP26 recap

Last month, ICOS participated to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. At COP26, ICOS organised a side event to discuss cross-sectoral partnerships and nature-based solutions in the ocean domain in order to reach the EU Green Deal and Paris Agreement commitments. The side event was moderated by the ICOS Ocean Thematic Centre Director Dr Richard Sanders, joined by the experts from research, higher education and private sector.

ICOS Director General, Dr Werner Kutsch also presented a poster on terrestrial carbon fluxes at the COP’s Earth Information Day, and Dr Leena Järvi, Work Package Co-Leader of the ICOS Cities project, joined the Mayors of the Nordic Cities to discuss how to construct and co-create green and resilient cities.

You can view the recordings and the poster here.

ICOS Cities PAUL project will support cities in climate actions and decisions

One of the objectives of the ICOS Cities project (Pilot Applications in Urban Landscapes) is to help cities execute their climate action goals by providing data on fossil fuel emissions from urban areas. The city of Paris is one of the project’s three pilot cities together with Munich and Zurich – all representing different sizes of urban areas.

The project kick-off was recently held in Paris, bringing together more than 100 attendees live and online. The Deputy Mayor of the city of Paris, Dan Lert, is excited for Paris to be part of the project:

“In recent years, extreme weather, floods, droughts, heat waves, pollution peaks have proven to be a serious strain in our city. These events have clearly shown us that the climate emergency does not only concern future generations - we are already affected here in Paris as well as all territories across the world. We cannot wait for years to know if implemented climate policies are effective, we need that information now. That is why we are delighted to be part of the PAUL ICOS Cities project, that will give us that data for making decisions and taking actions.”

Read more about the project.

Vielsalm station turns 25

The Vielsalm Ecosystem station in Belgum celebrated its 25th anniversary and labelling with a ceremony on 27 October 2021. The event attended by the Walloon minister of economy, research and innovation and agriculture Willy Borsus and the press was invited.

Read more.

7th December, 2021 to 28th February, 2022

#ICOScapes Photo Exhibition at the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in Lapland

Three visitor centres located at the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in Lapland, Finland will exhibit the #ICOScapes Photo Exhibition from December 2021 to February 2022.

The places & dates of the exhibitions:

• Fell Lapland Visitor Centre (Enontekiö), 7th–31st of December 2021 (full exhibition)
• Pallastunturi Visitor Centre (Muonio), 10th of January–27th of February 2022 (half exhibition)
• Yllästunturi Visitor Centre Kellokas (Kolari), 10th of January–27th of February 2022 (half exhibition)

The exhibition's photographs highlight unique environments across Europe, where scientists work at ICOS greenhouse gas measurement stations. Photographs are taken by the famous nature and wildlife photographer Konsta Punkka.

More information about the exhibitions can be found here.