Melpitz research station expanded by ground-based remote sensing instruments

Leipzig, 13.02.2026 – Birgit Heese

National Facilities for Aerosol Remote Sensing (ARS) and Cloud Remote Sensing (CRS)

The two new ACTRIS measurement containers – equipped with remote sensing instruments for the observation of aerosols and clouds were successfully transported to the Melpitz research station of TROPOS in the end of January 2026 and put into operation. This means that the Melpitz measuring station, which previously mainly measured aerosols and trace gases near the ground, has now been expanded to include vertical measurement profiles throughout the troposphere and beyond.

One container houses the multi-wavelength Raman lidar PollyXT for measuring the optical properties of aerosols, clouds, and water vapor in 13 channels. The latest channel, a Dual-field-of-View (DFOV) channel, even allows the determination of the number of liquid water droplets in clouds. The measured data than are automatically sent to a data server at TROPOS, evaluated, and the results are displayed on the Polly NET website polly.tropos.de.

The other container houses the cloud radar MIRA-35 and a HATPRO G5 water vapor radiometer, both installed on its roof. To record the amount of rainfall, a rain-gauge and a disdrometer are installed on the roof of the lidar container. The station also includes other remote sensing instruments such as a wind lidar for recording vertical movements, a sun-photometer for measuring aerosol optical thickness (AERONET) and a ceilometer, whose measurements of the boundary layer height are fed into the DWD
E-profile measurement network. In addition, the radiation measurements instruments for the satellite reference staion will be set up in the course of the spring.

The two containers now form National Facilities for Aerosol Remote Sensing (ARS) and Cloud Remote Sensing (CRS) within the framework of ACTRIS. The project was funded by BMFTR and FONA within the framework of ACTRIS-D. ACTRIS-D is Germany's contribution to the European research infrastructure ACTRIS, which investigates short-lived climate factors such as aerosols, clouds and trace gases.

The Melpitz research station is not only important for Germany, but also beyond: it is part of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), a scientific programme to combat transboundary air pollution under the UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). Melpitz is also a regional station in the World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) programme. ACTRIS-D is Germany's contribution to the European research infrastructure ACTRIS, which investigates short-lived climate factors such as aerosols, clouds and trace gases.

Birgit Heese