Lulin Atmospheric Background Station

Objectives

Taiwan is located downwind of East Asia and Southeast Asia, which are major air pollutant source regions. As result, Lulin Atmospheric Background Station (LABS), was constructed to study the trans boundary transport of these air pollutants and their impact on Taiwan.

LABS is located at 2,862 meters above sea level on top of Mt. Lulin in central Taiwan. Mt. Lulin is part of the Central Mountain Range and overlooks beautiful and warm grassy fields inside Yushan National Park. Because of the high altitude of LABS, measurements there are not affected by local pollution from factories, traffic and other domestic sources; rather, it is strategically located to monitor long-range transported air pollutants from the Asian continent.

The main objective of LABS is to investigate the long-term trends and variations of regional air pollutants entering the western North Pacific and to study the local impacts on Taiwan and regional impacts on air quality, atmospheric chemistry, radiation, and climate. This objective is achieved by a suite of continuous measurements at LABS, including precipitation, solar radiation, aerosol concentrations and optical properties, and trace gas and atmospheric mercury concentrations.

Scientific work at LABS encourages interdisciplinary collaborations among atmospheric scientists, chemists, and environmental scientists to perform important measurements, apply novel data analysis techniques, and construct long-term databases. Thus far, while hosting several international experiments (e.g. Seven-South East Asian Studies, 7-SEAS), collaborators at LABS have included the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Japan Mt. Fuji research group.

History

The idea of establishing an atmospheric station on Mt. Lulin began in 1988 when Taiwan launched a national air monitoring expansion project. Among proposed sites, Lulin—located in Yushan National Park—was considered ideal due to its high elevation, relatively clean environment, and moderate accessibility. However, the project was postponed due to high construction and logistical costs. The site permit was eventually withdrawn and later used for the Lulin Observatory established by National Central University (NCU).

In 1999, Professor Lin Neng-Huei from NCU attended the APARE meeting in Hawaii, where international research initiatives such as TRACE-P and ACE-Asia were introduced. A visit to NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory during this trip deeply impressed Prof. Lin, inspiring him to envision a similar high-elevation monitoring station in Taiwan, given the island's unique location at the boundary between continental Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

In 2000, as Taiwan began preparing for participation in the 2001 ACE-Asia and TRACE-P international field campaigns, discussions resumed regarding a high-elevation background station. The timing aligned with ongoing efforts to renew Taiwan’s national monitoring network and explore transboundary air pollution issues.

From 2002 to 2005, Taiwan commissioned a series of pilot studies led by NCU to assess transboundary pollution, including rainwater and aerosol sampling at Lulin. These studies established partnerships with international agencies such as NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. EPA. In 2004, Taiwan and NCU signed a formal agreement to construct the Lulin Atmospheric Background Station, utilizing existing facilities and securing land use rights within the Yushan National Park area.

Construction began in September 2005 and was completed by December. The station was officially inaugurated on April 13, 2006. Since then, it has become Taiwan's premier high-altitude background monitoring site, supporting international collaborations and long-range transport studies in East Asia and the Pacific.

Data Analysis Team

Principal investigator: Neng-Huei Lin
Co-Investigators: Guey-Rong Sheu, Sheng-Hsiang Wang, Chang-Feng Ou-Yang
Technical Engineer: Jense Chiu
Website/Data Manager: Chia-Chin Lin

International Collaboration

AERONET、MPLNET and SolRad-Net.
NOAA(CCGG) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network and NASA Aerosol Robotic Network(AERO).
The Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment, durning 2006-2008(UNEP/ABC/EAREX).
NASA BASE-ASIA (2006) field deployment and intensive field campaign called TIGERZa in 2008.
Sharing Acid rain data with Mount Fuji Research station.
2011, University of Münster, germany, Cloud Chemical Experiment in Mount Lulin.
Long term Measuring Black Carboon of Aerosol in Mount Lulin, cooperation with Japan Tokyo university, 2011-present.
7-SEAS Campaigns durning 2010-present.
2012 NADP / Atmospheric Mercury Network (AMNet)
2015 Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network.
2018 World Radiation Monitoring Center - Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)

Photos

Instruments