WMO- Measurement Lead Centre for Ground-based Remote Sensing Observations (Cabauw, the Netherlands)
| General Site Information | |
|---|---|
| The Cabauw atmosphe observatory is located in the western part of the Netherlands (51.971° N, 4.927° E) in a polder 0.7 m below average sealevel . At the site a large set of instruments is operated to study the atmosphere and its interaction with the land surface. Although being a rural site, with only a few pollution sources nearby, the wider vicinity of Cabauw is densely populated, with the city of Utrecht and a dense highway grid within 25 km, so that the site experiences recurring pollution events such as from the daily morning and afternoon rush hours. In addition, Cabauw is influenced by the transport of air pollution from emission sources further away. North-westerly winds generally carry relatively clean air from the sea, but winds from any other direction are likely to result in the sampling of polluted air. For winds from the west to south-west, Cabauw is downwind of Rotterdam (40 km), Europe’s largest harbour and location of petrochemical plants. Inflow from the south to south-east carries pollution from the southern parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and the industrialized and densely populated German Ruhr area (140 to 190 km). These variable conditions together with a wide range of instrumentation for meteorology, atmospheric composition, clouds and radiation that is permanently operated on site, make Cabauw attractive for studying the atmosphere and its composition in a wide range of conditions. | |
| Measurement Lead Centre location: | 51.971° N, 4.927° E, 0.7 m below average sealevel |
| Climate Type: | Warm Temperate - Fully humid - Warm summer |
| Contact person: | Arnoud Apituley |
| Email: | Arnoud [dot] apituley knmi [dot] nl (Arnoud[dot]apituley[at]knmi[dot]nl) |
| Address: | Zijdeweg 1 3411 MH Lopik The Netherlands |
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| Website: | https://cabauw.knmi.nl https://ruisdael-observatory.nl/cabauw |
| Further Information | |
| Further Site and Programme Details, Current Projects and Recent Publications | |
| Biennial Reports | |
| Biennial Report - 2026 | |