The Finokalia station (35° 20'N, 25° 40'E) is located on the north coast of Crete (http://finokalia.chemistry.uoc.gr/). The nearest large urban centre is Heraklion with 150 000 inhabitants located 70 km west of Finokalia. The station is located at the top of a hilly elevation (250 m asl) facing the sea within a sector 270° to 90°. The nearest village with 10 inhabitants is at 3 km to the south of the station. No significant human activities occur at a distance shorter than 15km within the above mentioned sector.
The area is characterized by the existence of two well-distinguished seasons equally distributed through out the year: the dry season (from April to September) and the wet season (from October to April). Based on a classification of 5-days backward trajectories performed for 8-year period (1997-2003), the dry season is mainly characterized (up to 90%) by winds of N/NW direction (Central and Eastern Europe and Balkans) and high speed. During the wet season the prevalence of the N/NW sector is less pronounced while important transport from Sahara (S/SW winds; occurrence up to 20%) takes place.
The station is handled by the Department of Chemistry, from Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Univeristy of Crete (http://ecpl.chemistry.uoc.gr). It is part of the EUSAAR and ACTRIS Network and reports to the EMEP (database). There is the possibility for Trans-National Access (TNA) within the framework of ACTRIS.
