NEWS

On Saturday, 27 September 2025, we made our way up to Helmos Mountain for a special visit celebrating ten years of the Helmos Hellenic Atmospheric Aerosol & Climate Change Station of the EΝvironmental Radioactivity & Aerosol technology for atmospheric and Climate impacT Lab (ΕΝRACT), Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy & Safety (INRASTES), NCSR Demokritos. It was a day of celebration – for the science that endures, and for the people and teamwork that give life to the station year after year.

The participants in our excursion reached 130 people — all members of Demokritos. Our first stop was at the Cultural Center of Kalavryta, where we were welcomed by the Mayor of Kalavryta, Mr. Thanasis Papadopoulos. The Mayor shared with us the “scientific” history of Kalavryta, which began with the installation of the Aristarchos telescope by the National Observatory of Athens and continued with the establishment of the Demokritos Station.

This brief ceremony included speeches by Dr. V. Karkaletsis, President of NCSR “Demokritos”; Prof. Ath. Nenes, EPFL, Switzerland; Prof. G. Iliopoulos, Scientific Coordinator of Helmos – Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark; and Dr. K. Eleftheriadis, head of ENRACT lab, which created and continues to manage the Station.
Mr. Eleftheriadis recounted the fascinating story of the founding of the Station on the highest peak of Helmos Mt at the pristine East Mediterranean atmosphere far from direct human activity footprint — as well as its highly significant research achievements.

Our next stop was at the Kalavryta Ski Center — which was kindly opened exclusively for us by the Ski center staff, normally closed during this season. The operators and security officers showed great patience in helping us board Achilleas and Styga, the two ski lifts that carried us up to 2,314 meters on Helmos Mt.

High up on the mountain, Mr. I. Alikakos, astronomer from the National Observatory of Athens, had ascended especially for us and kindly narrated the story of the installation and operation of Aristarchos, the largest telescope in the Balkans. It is a great example of synergies between Large Research Infrastructures operating side by side, the observation of space and stars and the study of the Atmosphere and Earth’s Climate.

Finally, we arrived at the Demokritos Station on Helmos and we were warmly welcomed by members of the ENRACT research team — Ms. E. Diapouli, Mr. M. Manousakas, Mr. Pr. Fetfatzis, and Ms. M. Gkini — who enthusiastically guided us through the Station and explained its operation and its exceptionally important contribution to atmospheric research.

The Helmos Research Station stands at an altitude of 2,314 meters, on the highest peak of Helmos Mt, Neraidorachi. Established in 2015 by Dr. Konstantinos Eleftheriadis and his research team at the ENRACT Lab, INRASTES, the station operates as an atmospheric observatory in the Eastern Mediterranean, dedicated to studying the physicochemical properties of aerosols and gases linked to climate change.

Far from human activity, and higher than any other station of its kind in Greece, scientists investigate the composition of atmospheric aerosols and greenhouse gases, aiming to understand their long-term effects on climate and human health.

The station is a state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and its unique location makes it an ideal site for observation.
❄️ In winter, when the atmospheric mixing layer contracts, the station lies within the free troposphere,  the part of the atmosphere where air masses circulate freely, beyond local pollution sources. The mixing layer is the lowest region of the atmosphere where air continuously stirs due to surface heating, where heat, humidity, and pollutants blend, shaping local air quality and weather.

🌦️ In spring and autumn, the station sits at the interface of the boundary layer and often within clouds,  the natural frontier where the air of the Earth meets the free atmosphere, where weather begins to form.

From this privileged vantage point, the Helmos Station collects data for the Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO) and EMEP networks, while contributing data to the ACTRIS Research Infrastructure and supporting international research campaigns such as CALISHTO and CHOPIN, involving leading scientific teams.

Helmos Station is recognized as a national research infrastructure of strategic importance (part of the National Infrastructure PANACEA) and a key node within the European and global networks monitoring the atmosphere.

From the summit of Helmos, Dr. Eleftheriadis, his team & the numerous co-workers from collaborating research organizations look to the sky, contributing to our better understanding on how our atmosphere is changing, and with it, the future of our planet.

📸 See photos from our trip and feel the inspiration of Helmos’ summit: