Pyrenean Platform for Observation
of the Atmosphere

The P2OA is a research platform for atmospheric observations affiliated with the University of Toulouse. It is located on the northern side of the central Pyrenees, halfway (200 km) between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), and close to the Spanish border (less than 50 km). It is composed of two sites: the PDM observatory, a high-altitude site (2875 m amsl) that is particularly suitable for the study of the free troposphere; the Centre de Recherches Atmosphériques (CRA) of Lannemezan (600 m amsl), 28 km northeast of PDM, which is a mostly flat and extensive rural site located on a plateau in the Pyrenean foothills.

Observations in meteorology and atmospheric composition and electricity have been conducted on both sites for several decades.

This platform has three main scientific missions:

• permanent monitoring,
• experimental campaigns,
• trainings.