How is ACTRIS complementary to other Research Infrastructures?
ACTRIS strongly supports research on direct effects of aerosols and the cloud feedback to global warming that form the major uncertainty in predicting climate change. Part of this research is the interaction of reactive gases, aerosols and cloud hydrometeors which is fundamental to the understanding of the evolution of aerosol and cloud particles.
The observational basis to assess and understand these processes is not within the scope of ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) and IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System), the two infrastructures including an atmospheric component currently on the ESFRI roadmap. ICOS focuses on the observation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Europe. IAGOS is a fleet of commercial airliners equipped with instrumentation to measure the atmospheric state along the fixed trajectories of the aircraft. Understanding the future developments of the climate system requires observations of the forcers of climate change such as greenhouse gases and aerosols as well as the response of the climate system to the effects of these forcers. ACTRIS will complement IAGOS by providing the required spatial and temporal dimension by measuring vertical profiles of the physical properties of the atmosphere. Several ACTRIS National Facilities are collocated with ICOS facilities. Interoperability amongst research infrastructures is essential for the user community. This is ensured by the ENVRIplus project, which is an EC funded project to provide common environmental RI solutions for science and society in where ACTRIS, ICOS and IAGOS are partners.
Who will use the ACTRIS infrastructure or its products and services?
The infrastructure will produce data and data products essential to a wide range of communities:
- Climate and air quality research communities worldwide;
- Universities and research institutions for training of researchers and young scientists;
- Space agencies for validation and the development of new satellite missions;
- Legislation-based monitoring networks of atmospheric compositional change;
- Sensor industries for testing, prototyping and demonstrations;
- Air quality agencies for validation of air pollution models;
- Numerical weather prediction centres for model validation;
- Institutes for eco-system studies of the interaction of atmosphere and biosphere.
ACTRIS is part of the data provision scheme of Copernicus Atmosphere Service. As such, improved climate models will result in better climate scenarios, which is relevant to a wide range of parties, e.g.:
- Governments (local), who can adapt their policy to improved climate scenarios;
- Water boards to improve water management strategies;
- Insurance companies for the optimization of the risk-benefit analysis;
- Companies with a long-term (multi-decadal) strategy (e.g., the food and energy industry).