The Lower Atmosphere Research Center (CIBA) was established in the late 1970s through a collaboration agreement between the Spanish Meteorological Agency, formerly the National Meteorological Institute, and the University of Valladolid. Today, its facilities and data management are maintained by research groups from the University of Valladolid, including the Atmospheric Optics Group and the Atmospheric Pollution group.
CIBA is located around 40 km north of Valladolid, on flat terrain suitable for meteorological and atmospheric measurements. The site includes two observation towers, 10 m and 100 m high, which provide the basis for vertical atmospheric observations in a continental inland environment.
The ICOS atmospheric station is planned as a Class 2 site on the 100 m tower, with sampling points at 10, 50 and 100 metres. A small laboratory at the base of the tower is intended to host the Picarro analyser and ICOS calibration and reference tanks, allowing measurements of CO2, CH4 and CO at different heights.
The station complements the coastal and high-mountain sites of the Spanish atmospheric network by adding a central Iberian location. Its observations are especially valuable for understanding lower-atmosphere composition over inland Spain and for connecting greenhouse gas measurements with meteorological and radiative observations.