New project focuses on improved understanding of clouds and aerosols in weather and climate

Emerging observation technologies are being launched to increase our understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions. It is expected that the new EarthCare satellite will be launched in 2024 and will provide new, more accurate satellite-based observations of clouds, aerosols, and radiation. In addition, observational infrastructures provide global coverage of the properties of the atmosphere. This data will be the main source of data for complex computer modelling used for predicting and understanding the role clouds and aerosol to weather and climate.

Jennie Thomas, project coordinator at Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) researcher at Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE), notes that “we have a world leading team of European experts to address this urgent science need on understanding the roles of clouds and aerosols in weather and climate. We combine modelling and observation expertise to understand cloud-aerosol processes and their links to global climate and society.”

Harri Kokkola, scientific coordinator of CERTAINTY and researcher at Finnish Meteorological Institute and professor at University of Eastern Finland, notes that "we aim at combining the wealth of data available from satellites, observations, and models to improve our understanding on how aerosols and clouds modify weather and climate. We hope to bring certainty in this research topic that has been a persistent source of uncertainty in predicting weather as well as climate change."

With a budget of 7.2 million EUR euros from the EU’s Horizon Europe research program, CERTAINTY will be conducted from 2024 to 2028. This initiative aligns with the EU’s commitment to supporting the transition to a low-carbon, resilient future and climate action in accordance with the Paris climate agreement. Additional funding for the project is provided from Switzerland (880,000 EUR) and the UK (800,000 EUR).

Further information:

Reseach professor Harri Kokkola, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. + 358 29 539 2148, harri.kokkola@fmi.fi

CERTAINTY project web page

The project has 18 partners institutions:

• Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)

• Finnish Meteorological Institute

• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

• Barcelona Supercomputing Center

• Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut

• Stockholm University

• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

• National Observatory of Athens

• Lund University

• University of Eastern Finland

• Imperial College London

• University of Manchester

• University of Helsinki

• Technical University of Crete

• Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

• Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute

• ETH Zürich

• Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Center