The Remote Sensing of Aerosols, Clouds and UV radiation scientists develop algorithms for the retrieval of aerosol and cloud properties, and surface reflectance, using data measured by radiometers on board satellites, in particular AATSR aboard ENVISAT and ATSR-2 aboard ERS-2. Results from these and other instruments (e.g., MERIS, MODIS, OMI and in the future SLSTR, OLCI, TROPOMI) are used in combination with radiative transfer models to study the effects of aerosols on the Earth radiation balance, air quality, the occurrence of volcanic ash and on emissions of aerosols and their precursor gases. Together with satellite-retrieved cloud information the aerosol data are used in aerosol-cloud interaction studies and their effect on climate. In H2020 AURORA project, the group participates in developing and implementing an algorithm for the surface-UV radiation, which exploits measurements from Sentinel missions.

Right: a thick smoke plume originating from Russian forest fires was observed on the 8th of August 2010 by the MODIS satellite instrument (NASA Giovanni) above Finland and Russia. Left: Red color shows the locations of forest fires during 6th to 8th of August and the lines (HYSPLIT) show the origin of the air mass in Kuopio on the 8th. The instrumentation in Kuopio recorded high amounts of aerosols in the atmosphere on that day.

Ground-based measurements provide information of solar radiation, aerosols and trace gases and are used for validation of satellite products of aerosols, ozone and solar radiation. The group has strong expertise on measurements of ozone column concentrations and UV radiation, including Arctic and Antarctic research. The UV research includes also effects of UV radiation on material aging, health, plant growth and planning of build environment. Further ground-based measurements are made in international research collaboration with AERONET, PFR-GAW, EUBREWNET and SolRad-Net measurement networks.

The experts of the group

Our group members work at FMI offices in Kuopio, Helsinki and Rovaniemi

email: firstname.lastname@fmi.fi

Veijo Aaltonen, MSc, Scientist (aerosol measurements)

Antti Arola, PhD, Head of Group, Research Professor (remote sensing of aerosols, atmospheric radiative transfer), tel. +358 29539 2129, gsm +358 50 307 2131

Anu Heikkilä, PhD, Senior Scientist (UV radiation)

Pekka Kolmonen, PhD, Senior Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols and clouds, atmospheric radiative transfer)

Antti Kukkurainen, MSc, Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols)

Kaisa Lakkala, PhD, Senior Scientist (UV radiation), Title of docent (Arctic climate and UV radiation research)

Antti Lipponen, PhD, Senior Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols, statistical analysis, inverse problems)

Mikko Pitkänen, MSc, Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols)

Neus Sabater Medina, PhD, Senior Scientist (atmospheric correction algorithms, solar-induced fluorescence retrievals)

Larisa Sogacheva, PhD, Adj. Prof., Senior Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols and clouds, atmospheric radiative transfer)

Timo Virtanen, PhD, Senior Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols and clouds, atmospheric radiative transfer)

Arttu Väisänen, MSc, Scientist (remote sensing of aerosols)