A long-standing demand of society is for meteorological data to be made available so that all researchers can participate in its analysis, emphasized the scientists who participated in an event organized on 12/12/2025 by the Laboratory of Meteorology and Climatology of the Department of Geology of Aristotle University.
As Eleni Katragou, professor at the Department of Geology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, pointed out in her speech, the new policies support the open availability of data for better research support and better services to citizens. In this direction, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki can support a unified network of meteorological stations by mapping existing hydrometeorological stations per agency, advising on the placement of new hydrometeorological stations, systematically storing meteorological data, and creating a common data archiving protocol that follows European policies.
“Furthermore, it can contribute to the correction and quality control of meteorological data before its release, the central distribution of meteorological data to end users, immediate notification of problems in station operation so that they can be repaired in a timely manner, and the opening of data to international bodies.”
Referring to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s research work on climate, she noted that it contributes in a specific way to the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), plays a coordinating role in the regional climate simulations pillar for Europe in the global CORDEX program, participates in research programs and climate service programs, and actively collaborates with private entities to create new research products with innovative features.
Prof. Katragou also announced that with co-financing from the European Union – European Regional Development Fund – NSRF 2021-2027 – Central Macedonia program, AUTH will upgrade its computing infrastructure to manage large volumes of meteorological and climate data for the purpose of studying climate change and its effects.
According to the professor of the Department of Geology, climate system monitoring networks are invaluable for studying climate and climate change. In this context, the Laboratory of Meteorology and Climatology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has been operating the (first) meteorological station at Aristotle University since 1930, maintains two more telemetric meteorological stations in the Region of Central Macedonia, operates the Mountain Sports Training Center (1725 m), manages the Olympus Scientific Center in Agios Antonios (2817 m), has installed a meteorological radar at KEDEK-AUTH, and will acquire a new standard meteorological station.
Since mid-2022, Ecodevelopment has maintained a network of 10 privately owned telemetric meteorological stations under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki for the joint operation and use of data from a wider network of similar stations in Central Macedonia, together with the Region of Central Macedonia, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and NOVAGREEN SA (70 meteorological stations), with an initial forecast for the operation of this network for the period 2023-2026. This network, under the scientific responsibility of Prof. Katragou, serves the need for better collection, recording, and production of critical meteorological parameters and correspondingly reliable meteorological forecasts for the entire Region.
In the near future, the above MoU between Ecodevelopment and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will be renewed in order to continue the operation and utilization of the network of meteorological stations in the Region of Central Macedonia.
Η εκδήλωση με θέμα «Έρευνα και ερευνητικές υποδομές για τη μελέτη του κλίματος και της κλιματικής αλλαγής» πραγματοποιήθηκε με αφορμή την ολοκλήρωση του ερευνητικού έργου UpClim, το οποίο υλοποιείται στο πλαίσιο του Εθνικού Σχεδίου Ανάκαμψης και Ανθεκτικότητας «Ελλάδα 2.0» (φορέας υλοποίησης: ΕΛΙΔΕΚ) (Συντονισμός: Τομέαw Μετεωρολογίας και Κλιματολογίας του Τμήματος Γεωλογίας ΑΠΘ, Συνεργαζόμενος φορέας Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας (ΙΤΕ), Εργαστηρίο Τηλεπισκόπησης, Ινστιτούτο Υπολογιστικών Μαθηματικών. Επιστ. υπεύθυνη: Ελένη Κατράγκου, Αντιπρόεδρος του Κέντρου Διεπιστημονικής Έρευνας και Καινοτομίας – ΚΕΔΕΚ)