Search

Navigation and service


CPEX-LAB becomes part of ACTRIS

CPEX-LAB is part of the new European Research Infrastructure ACTRIS on clouds, aerosols, and trace gases– CPEX-LAB budget of 4.5 million euro for Infrastructure and science.

Germany is becoming part a new infrastructure for research on particulate matter, clouds, and trace gases. Distributed among eleven institutions, the German contribution to the EU research infrastructure ACTRIS will enable better forecasts for air quality, weather, and climate in the future. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the implementation of this infrastructure with a total of 86 million euros over the next eight years. Many players in German atmospheric research are working together in ACTRIS - including universities, non-university research institutions, and public authorities.
ACTRIS will provide data on short-lived constituents of the atmosphere from the ground to the stratosphere, helping to reduce uncertainties in the prediction of future climate, improve knowledge of climate feedback mechanisms, and assess measures to improve air quality and its impact on health and ecosystems.

© ACTRISACTRIS-Logo
Copyright: ACTRIS

The observation platform JOYCE which is operated by CPEX-Lab is part of the German contribution, acknowledging the expertise of CPEX-Lab scientists and their worldwide visibility in cloud and precipitation remote sensing. JOYCE will be funded with a total sum of 4.5 million Euros to renew existing and invest into new measurement infrastructure at JOYCE, such as a novel Raman lidar for temperature and humidity profiles. In addition, the centre of expertise for microwave radiometer operation will be established at JOYCE which will set common standards for the European network of microwave radiometers which are part of all ACTRIS cloud remote sensing stations.

Background:
The impact of human activities on the atmosphere, from a single car to huge forest fires, can only be assessed if measurements are taken continuously and at many points distributed over a large area because the atmosphere does not know any national borders. This is why the pan-European initiative ACTRIS was adopted to the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures in 2016. In 2022, ACTRIS will start its long-term work in the legal form of an ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium).
With the adoption of the German contribution ACTRIS-D to the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures in 2019, Germany has committed itself to participate in the European research infrastructure. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting this initiative as part of the "Research for Sustainability" (FONA) strategy. The BMBF has now begun funding the implementation of ACTRIS-D with a total budget of approximately 86 million euros. With these funds, numerous fixed and mobile measurement stations, as well as laboratories and simulation chambers, will be upgraded or newly constructed over the next five years. A second funding phase for the complete construction of ACTRIS-D is planned for the period 2026 to 2029. In addition, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) will make a significant contribution by providing long-term funding for the operation of service facilities such as the ACTRIS calibration centers.

Link (Press release German):
https://portal.uni-koeln.de/universitaet/aktuell/presseinformationen/detail/koelner-meteorologinnen-erhalten-millionenfoerderung-fuer-klimaforschung#news94


CPEX-LAB related contacts:


Prof. Dr. Ulrich Löhnert
Universität zu Köln
Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie
+49 221 470-1779
ulrich.loehnert@uni-koeln.de


Dr. Bernhard Pospichal
Universität zu Köln
Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie (AG Löhnert)
+49 221 470-3691
bernhard.pospichal@uni-koeln.de


Dr. Ulla Wandinger (Coordination of the German ACTRIS part) /
Dr. Markus Hermann (Coordination of the German ACTRIS Kalibration Activities)
Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung e.V., Leipzig
Tel. +49 341 2717-7082, -7071
https://www.tropos.de/institut/ueber-uns/mitarbeitende/ulla-wandinger/
https://www.tropos.de/institut/ueber-uns/mitarbeitende/markus-hermann


Presse and Communication:
Mathias Martin
Universität zu Köln
+49 221 470-1705
m.martin@verw.uni-koeln.de


Weitere Informationen:
ACTRIS - the European Research Infrastructure for the observation of Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases:
https://www.actris.eu/


Forschung für Nachhaltigkeit (FONA):
https://www.fona.de/de/


BMBF- Roadmap Forschungsinfrastrukturen:
https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/de/forschung/das-wissenschaftssystem/roadmap-fuer-forschungsinfrastrukturen/roadmap-fuer-forschungsinfrastrukturen.html


Cloud observations at JOYCE
https://geomet.uni-koeln.de/forschung/joyce/about-joyce-cf


Hinweis für die Medien:
Additional fotos in high quality for free use:
https://owncloud.gwdg.de/index.php/s/xT01mtLoVyuoLF5

Pictures and more additional media materials oft he EU and related partners
https://www.actris.eu/outreach


A competence centre of