Giulia Saponaro, ACTRIS Communication Officer, charts atmospheric observations to achieve excellence in Earth science
ACTRIS helps us respond to the grand challenges our society faces by enabling a deeper understanding of atmospheric processes, improving our resilience to climate change and air quality, and contributing to reducing the effects of air pollution on public health and ecosystems.
A deeper understanding of the driving forces of climate change and air pollution requires quantification of the short-lived atmospheric constituents (aerosol, clouds and trace gases) and their emissions, sinks, and atmospheric spatial and temporal variability. To improve the climate model accuracy and sensitivity, secured access to long-term observational data with high precision and sufficient density is crucial. Without high-quality observations to constrain predictive models, any forecast of the atmosphere is highly unreliable.
ACTRIS: A Research Infrastructure exploring the atmosphere
The Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) is the pan-European research infrastructure (RI) producing high-quality data and information on short-lived atmospheric constituents and the processes leading to the variability of these constituents in natural and controlled atmospheres. ACTRIS enables open and free access to high-quality long-term atmospheric data through a single entry point. Offering access to world-class facilities to users, extending from academia to the private sector, with the best research environments and expertise, ACTRIS fosters cutting-edge science and international collaboration.
ACTRIS is a pan-European research infrastructure consolidating and coordinating actions amongst 18 European partners. After many years of community building, ACTRIS has now started a five-year implementation phase (2020-2024) supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement No. 871115. Following the implementation phase, ACTRIS will be operational and become a reference for short-lived atmospheric constituents, offering a unique portfolio of services, including open access to data and physical and remote access to its services.
Driving science while supporting society
The atmospheric environment is also shaped by the effectiveness of environmental policies for reducing the emissions of pollutants, which mitigate climate change and improve air quality.
ACTRIS provides support to policy and decision-makers through its flow of information on the past and current state of the atmospheric environment, delivering unique information on short-lived climate forcers. By using ACTRIS services, they can make reliable decisions and improve their assessments in the areas of weather and environment, thus contributing to define mitigation and adaptation strategies and supporting international conventions and protocols.
By providing data and knowledge transfer, ACTRIS enhances science leading to a positive impact on human health, climate resilience, protection from environmental hazards, and reduction of air pollution.
Please note: This is a commercial profile
© 2019. This work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND.
