HSBC staff at the Victoria branch in Gozo paid an educational visit to the Air Pollution Monitoring Station at the Giordan lighthouse in Għasri, Gozo. Hosted by Prof. Ray Ellul from the Atmospheric Research Physics Department of the University of Malta, HSBC staff learnt about data collected at the station and its relevance to monitor climate change.

The Giordan lighthouse was built by the British army in 1853 and it was previously an important station for the recording of meteorological data. By the year 2000, it was established as a formal Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station accredited to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) measurement programme for atmospheric trace gas monitoring. It also furnishes the Malta Meteorological Office with daily weather data.

Three years ago, new and more modern equipment was installed at the station for the collection of data from Central Mediterranean with the collaboration of researchers from Germany, Greece, France and the UK. Data collection from this station is very important due to Malta’s strategic position in central Mediterranean and particularly in view of the proximity to volcanic areas and the high ship traffic between Sicily and Malta.

It is expected that the trace gas data will be made available online to enable the public and interested bodies to access results on a daily basis. The station will also have a secondary role in furnishing data to the Health Department and Civil Protection authorities in times of critical situations such as emissions from Etna and radioactive accidents in Europe.