ICOS STATION
Heraklion Kornarou
Imagine a city’s emissions visualised, mapped, and analyzed to pinpoint areas for improvement. In the Greek city of Heraklion at the island of Crete, this is a reality. Here, researchers are creating a detailed map of the city’s urban footprint. This “emission mapping” is a crucial tool for developing and implementing effective strategies to reduce the city’s environmental impact and create a more sustainable urban environment.
Greece
30 m
Altitude
20.7 °C
Mean annual temperature
495.7 mm
Mean annual precipitation
Temperate; dry and hot summer (Csa)
Climate zone
Detailed information
GR-HeK
GR
Associated
2023-11-15
2
The site Heraklion Kornarou (ICOS code GR-HeK) is located in the city center of Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece, and is therefore classified as an urban site, mainly compact low rise LCZ3 in the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) scheme. The business areas and Heraklion's main thoroughfares, which are used for both commercial activity and commuter traffic, are concentrated in the northern part of HECKOR. The southern part is distinguished by residential districts with high building density and sparse, small scale vegetation areas, as well as by roadways with low traffic loads. Additionally, in an approximately 400m distance away but also inside the flux footprint, there is another notable feature of Heraklion's urban landscape, the Venetian walls (16th century). Commercial activity is a major contributor to the yearly carbon dioxide fluxes, especially during morning rush hours on weekdays and at lower levels at night and on weekends.
20.7 °C
495.7 mm
216.5 W/m2
35.33613, 25.1328
30 m
Acknowledgements
| Funder | Award number | Award | Start date | End date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space | Grant agreement ID: 637519 | H2020-EO-2014 | 2015-01-01 | 2017-12-31 | |
| Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space | Grant agreement ID: 870337 | H2020-SPACE-2018-2020 | 2020-01-01 | 2023-04-30 | |
| European Research Council (ERC) | Grant agreement ID: 855005 | ERC-SyG - Synergy grant | 2020-04-01 | 2027-03-31 |
Current staff
| Name | Role (ICOS vocabulary) | Start date |
|---|---|---|
| Nikos Al Sheikh Aly | Researcher | 2025-10-01 |
| Nektarios Chrysoulakis | Principal Investigator | 2023-03-02 |
| Giorgos Kogxylakis | Data Manager | 2023-04-26 |
| Konstantinos Politakos | Administrator | 2023-03-02 |
| Nektarios Spyridakis | Engineer | 2023-04-26 |
| Stavros Stagakis | Researcher | 2025-07-01 |