Thursday, November 22, 2012
A Navarino Environmental Observatory (NEO) has recently been launched in the Messinia prefecture, southwestern Peloponnese.
NEO is collaboration between the University of Stockholm, the Academy of Athens and TEMES, the company responsible for developing the luxury Costa Navarino hotel complex in the area, where the observatory is located. The project aims at charting the effect of climate change in the Mediterranean region, which, because of its position and geography, is a hub for the carriage of air pollutants and atmospheric aerosols, which play an important role in the radiation balance of the region and therefore influence climate change.
Messinia was chosen on account of the region’s unique climatic and geomorphological characteristics, which make it an ideal location for a climate change research observatory, while Costa Navarino was specifically selected because of the developer’s strong commitment to preserving the natural environment.
