European Topic Centres (ETCs) are centres of thematic expertise contracted by the EEA to carry out specific tasks identified in the EEA Multiannual Work Programme and the annual work programmes. They are designated by the EEA Management Board following a Europe-wide competitive selection process and work as extensions of the EEA in specific topic areas. Each ETC consists of a lead organisation and specialist partner organisations from the environmental research and information community, which combine their resources in their particular areas of expertise. The main tasks of the ETC on Air Pollution, Transport, Noise and Industrial Pollution (ETC/ATNI) are: Integrated activities in the areas of air pollution, noise, industry, energy and transport; -Air pollutant emissions monitoring, reporting and verification; -Air pollutant mitigation assessments and indicators; -Air quality and noise data; -Air quality and noise assessments and indicators; -ETC management and capacity building in EEA member and cooperating countries.

COMTESSA will push back the limits of our understanding of turbulence and plume dispersion in the atmosphere by bringing together full four-dimensional (space and time) observations of a (nearly) passive tracer (sulfur dioxide, SO2), with advanced data analysis and turbulence and dispersion modelling. Observations will be made with six cameras sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and three cameras sensitive to infrared (IR) radiation. The UV cameras will be built specifically for this project where high sensitivity and fast sampling is important. The accuracy of UV and IR retrievals will be improved by using a state-of-the art-3D radiative transfer model. Controlled puff and plume releases of SO2 will be made from a tower, which will be observed by all cameras, yielding multiple 2D images of SO2 integrated along the line of sight. The simultaneous observations will allow - for the first time - a tomographic reconstruction of the 3D tracer concentration distribution at high space (10 Hz) resolution. An optical flow code will be used to determine the eddy-resolved velocity vector field of the plume. Special turbulent phenomena (e.g. plume rise) will be studied using existing SO2 sources (e.g. smelters, power plants, volcanic fumaroles). Analysis of the novel campaign observations will deepen our understanding of turbulence and tracer dispersion in the atmosphere. For instance, for the first time we will be able to extensively measure the concentration probability density function (PDF) in a plume not only near the ground but also at high-er altitudes; quantify relative and absolute dispersion; estimate the value of the Richardson-Obukhov constant, etc. We will also use the data to evaluate state-of-the-art LES and Lagrangian dispersion models and revise their underlying parameterizations. COMTESSA’s vision is that the project results will lead to large improvements of tracer transport in all atmospheric models.

The objections to animal experiments which have accumulated on both ethical and scientific grounds drive the development of new alternative approaches which do not use animals. Despite the plethora of available alternative methods in different fields of safety assessment, there are still either no validated animal-free replacement methods for some toxicity endpoints or they need a thorough improvement/development. NIOM, as an institute from the Widening Country, aims to increase its capacity (portfolio) towards available in vitro methods for toxicity testing. TWINALT project aims to: i) significantly strengthen the research position of NIOM in the field of alternative methods to toxicity assessment by linking it with 3 prominent scientific partners in this field from Belgium (VUB), Norway (NILU), and Italy (UMIL); ii) enhance the S&T capacity of the 4 linked institutions with a principal focus on the NIOM; iii) commercialize and integrate the TWINALT research with the needs of society at the local, regional, national, European and global level. Five research areas have been identified to be focused on in TWINALT: i) modern methods for cytotoxicity assessment (High Throughput/Content Screening); ii) new cell models in alternative methods (co-cultures, 3D models); iii) standard/modern alternative methods for genotoxicity and carcinogenicity assessment; iv) characterization of cell-nanomaterial interactions under in vitro conditions; v) in silico methods in safety assessment. The work will be organized into 4 packages: i) elaboration of a common RTD and innovation strategy on alternative methods; ii) exchange of know-how with partners through training mobilities; iii) communication, exploitation and dissemination activities (web-site, regional and international events, joint publications, press releases, education, contacts with industrial sector); iv) management.