General info

This aerosol database has been established as part of the FP5/GMES project CREATE (Construction, use and delivery of an European aerosol database), which started in January 2002 and will continue until December 2004. The project consortium contributing to the compilation of European aerosol data comprises eleven partner institutions from eight European countries. The database is located at and maintained by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) in collaboration with the World Data Centre for Aerosols of the Global Atmosphere Watch programme (GAW/WDCA).

All data compiled in the CREATE database are freely available.

More information on the CREATE project in general can be found at the official CREATE web site (link available soon).

Currently, the database contains aerosol data on TSP, PM10, PM2.5, as well as on aerosol chemical composition including the major inorganic components and various heavy metals. In the course of the CREATE project, the database is planned to be expanded by including more data on

• Total aerosol number concentration
• Aerosol mass concentration (PM10 and PM2.5)
• Aerosol particle size distribution
• Aerosol inorganic composition (nitrate, ammonium, sulphate)
• Mass concentration of organic carbon (OC), black carbon (BC), and total carbon (TC)
• Aerosol radiative data (absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient, aerosol optical depth)
• Mineral dust
• Sea salt

As a major first achievement of the project, a harmonisation of the data flow in the EMEP network and in GAW has been attained. More information about the cooperation between EMEP and GAW through the CREATE project and on data formats supported by the CREATE database can be found in the section on supported data formats .