Region of Central Macedonia (GRC)
Pilot city No. 2
Thessaloniki is a growing city with an approximate 1.000.000 inhabitants. It is located on the northeastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Thermaikos Gulf, has a size of approximately 30 x 30 Km and is characterised by the presence of complex coastlines. The complex topography and pronounced terrain features, create a local flow field that differs significantly from the prevailing or medium- scale conditions (e.g. sea breeze cells, anabatic and catabatic flows). Thessaloniki is surrounded to the north and east by hills with an elevation of approximately 300 m, to the southeast by the 1200m high Chortiatis Mountains at an approximate distance of 20 km and to the southwest by the Pieria Mountains at a distance of 60-65 km.
The wider area of Thessaloniki is divided by Lake Koronia with the mountain range of Chortiatis. On the western shore of Thermaikos Gulf there is an extensive flat and fertile area. Most of the residential areas, though, are located within two kilometres along the coastline, and the industrial area is located northwest of the city at a distance of approximately 10 km from the city centre. Emissions from industrial activities and vehicles are responsible for increasing pollution and the formation of photochemical smog. The surface of the seabed of Thessaloniki is very smooth and its depth does not exceed 30m.
What are our interests in CityCLIM?
The project will give Central Macedonia a statistical heat and air flow “profile” that can serve as planning tools for related meteorological and environmental challenges in the Greater Thessaloniki area including supporting the timely warning of heat stress and episodes of increased air pollution with the help of an enhanced ground truth network and high to very high-resolution weather and air quality models. The sta-tistical maps of the Advanced UltraHD model outputs will help the authorities and the people of Central Macedonia to take the surprise out of the equation promoting specific policies through the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy of the Region of Central Macedonia, which aims at the rebirth and sustainable development of the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki
Main tasks will comprise:
1. To provide access to the measurement data already in place throughout the region, especially historical data
2. To provide specific support to disseminate the results of the research carried out.
3. To establish a relationship between the research groups in order to be able to make possible management
and planning decisions for the city in terms of the environmental aspect.
Strongly involved in Pilot Requirements Analysis and WP7 Pilots: Infrastructure, Customisation, Field-
Testing and Demonstration. Contributing to WP8 Communication, Dissemination, Exploitation, Roadmap.