Pico Mountain Observatory (OMP) is an established research facility integrated in an international effort aiming at monitoring climate and pollution within the North Atlantic region. OMP is situated at 2225m above mean sea level in the summit caldera of the Pico volcano on the Pico Island (Azores Is.) and experiences air masses transported over long distances from North America, the Arctic, Africa, Europe and the equatorial Atlantic above Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) or the lower Free Troposphere (FT). This strategic location and high elevation makes OMP truly unique with respect to other observatories in the North Atlantic basin, besides providing an excellent base for volcano surveillance. Measurements at OMP are an important part of the international research carried out within an Atlantic chain of atmospheric observatories extending from Ascension Island, Cape Verde, the Azores, the Canaries and Ireland to Iceland, Summit, Greenland and Spitzbergen in Svalbard.
Some of the work, done at OMP, is presented together with a strategy for future activities at the Observatory.
The importance of continued measurements at OMP is emphasized. Specifically, OMP could contribute to the international North Atlantic research network operating as a high profile Portuguese station within the World Meteorological Organization Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) programme and as part of the European Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructures (ACTRIS).