PyroTRACH

Biomass burning (BB) is a significant contributor to global atmospheric particulate matter, with strong impacts on climate, ecosystems and public health. Yet these impacts are highly uncertain, largely owing to our inability to track BB particulate matter and the evolution of their properties throughout most of its atmospheric lifetime. PyroTRACH will provide the necessary breakthroughs in our understanding of BB particles and their impacts by: i) deriving new markers of biomass burning with an atmospheric lifetime that exceeds the current limitation of about day, ii) measuring highly uncertain but critically-important climate- and health-relevant properties of aerosols both from wildfire events that occur during summertime and from BB for heating purposes during wintertime in highly populated urban environments, iii) applying this new knowledge to quantify the contribution of biomass burning to aerosol in the Mediterranean region, and quantify its impacts on climate and public health. Novel state-of-the-art instrumentation, portable environmental chambers and well established measurements techniques will be applied in continuous measurements as well as intensive field campaigns to study the properties and evolution of BB particulates as they age in the atmosphere. Considering the increasing occurrence of wildfires, along with decreased emissions from fossil fuels means that accurately predicting the health and climate effects from biomass burning aerosol is one of the most important aspects of atmospheric aerosol the needs to be studied. This project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

FORCeS

The EU-funded FORCeS project aims to detect essential processes that influence aerosol radiative forcing and study data related to aerosols and clouds’ impacts on climate during recent decades. The project will organize workshops among leading European climate scientists and climate specialists aiming to improve European climate models. FORCeS will identify key processes governing aerosol radiative forcing, as well as climate feedbacks related to aerosols and clouds, and improve the knowledge about these processes by bringing together leading European scientists.

REMEDIA

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis are two highly debilitating chronic respiratory diseases sharing common characteristics, yet presenting opposite roots: the former appears to be intricately related to the exposome while the latter not. The EU-funded REMEDIA project is developing approaches combining the collection of exposome and clinical data, advanced machine learning, the use of atmospheric simulation chambers, and the development of individual sensor devices, in order to address the impact of exposome on the course of these two lung diseases.

ATMO-ACCESS

ATMO-ACCESS is the organized response of distributed atmospheric research facilities for developing a pilot for a new model of Integrating Activities. The project will deliver a series of recommendations for establishing a comprehensive and sustainable framework for access to distributed atmospheric Research Infrastructures (RI), ensuring integrated access to and optimised use of the services they provide. It will develop and test innovative modalities of access to facilities and complementary to more advanced services, including digital services, developed as part of cross-RI efforts. Project’s research facilities includes ground-based observation stations, simulation chambers, but also mobile facilities and central laboratories that are fundamental elements in distributed RIs.

RI-URBANS

The main objective of Research Infrastructures Services Reinforcing Air Quality Monitoring Capacities in European Urban & Industrial AreaS (RI-URBANS) is to develop Service Tools (STs) that will provide novel insights into spatio-temporal variability of air quality parameters, population exposure and air quality health interactions. This will enable to reduce air pollution effects in European cities and industrial hotspots. The project takes on board advanced research-driven Air Quality (AQ) observations at selected European pilot cities. By combining Air Quality Monitoring Networks (AQMNs) and RIs advanced science knowledge and innovative technologies, RI-URBANS deploys tools and information systems in the hands of citizens and communities to support decision-making by AQ managers and regulators. These will enhance the AQMNs capacity to evaluate, predict and mitigate the impact of AQ on human health.

ACTRIS-IMP

The Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) is a pan-European research infrastructure producing high-quality data and information on short-lived atmospheric constituents and on the processes leading to the variability of these constituents in natural and controlled atmospheres. Different atmospheric processes are increasingly in the focus of many societal and environmental challenges, such as air quality, health, sustainability and climate change. ACTRIS brings essential information for understanding atmospheric processes and bio-geochemical interactions between the atmosphere and ecosystems. ACTRIS is composed of Observational and Exploratory Platforms, Topical Centres, Data Centre, and Head Office that is coordinating the ACTRIS activities.

SynAirG

EU Project SynAirG (“Disrupting Noxious Synergies of Indoor Air Pollutants and their Impact in Childhood Health and Wellbeing, using Advanced Intelligent Multisensing and Green Interventions”), 2022-2026.

SIMPHAC

SIMPHAC-Understanding the mechanisms of enhanced cloud ice levels in mixed-phase clouds. Clouds regulate the Earth’s energy balance and play an important role in the climate's response to changing greenhouse gas levels. They also create precipitation that affects the supply of fresh water on Earth. However, clouds – in particular mixed-phase clouds, which consist of both liquid water and ice – are the largest source of predictive error in any atmospheric and climate models. Focusing on mixed-phase clouds, the EU-funded SIMPHAC project intends to gain a quantitative understanding of the mechanisms responsible for enhanced cloud ice levels. It further aims to parametrise these processes for use in numerical models. To this end, it will use high-resolution models, a unique laboratory data set and in situ observations. This work will pave the way for more accurate weather predictions and climate projections.

EASVOLEE 

The EASVOLEE project will improve our understanding of organic emissions from vehicle exhaust including low-volatility (LVOCs), semi-volatile (SVOCs), intermediate volatility (IVOCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It will elucidate the corresponding secondary aerosol formation (both organic and inorganic) and characterize the health effects of these primary and secondary particles.

The contribution of engine exhaust emissions to PM2.5 and size-resolved particle number concentrations in Europe will be quantified during all seasons. The above scientific evidence will be used to investigate the effectiveness of policies to reduce secondary organic and inorganic PM levels in urban areas - with a focus on components impacting health. Finally, EASVOLEE will develop new approaches to improve the quantification of transport impacts on air quality and health effects supporting future emissions and climate legislation. 

CHEVOPIN

The Chemical Evolution of Gas-and Particulate-Phase Organic Pollutants in the Atmosphere (CHEVOPIN) project will allow the assessment of the effectiveness of policies in-place and the better design of future policies to improve air quality but also to reduce the damages due to climate change. Policy making will be influenced by the CHEVOPIN outcomes; directly by public outreach, and providing relevant results to policy makers, and indirectly by delivering relevant scientific studies to international assessments and organizations that in turn are important in international and European policy making