BACCHUS - Impact of Biogenic versus Anthropogenic emissions on Clouds and Climate: towards a Holistic UnderStanding

BACCHUS is a European FP7 collaborative project under the lead of ETH Zurich, Switzerland. In the years 2013 to 2017, 21 research institutions from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, and Israel work closely together to better understand key processes in aerosol-cloud interactions.
BACCHUS is one of three individual research projects building the research cluster "Aerosols and Climate" that the EU initiated, recognising the importance of improving climate predications to develop sustainable policies for Europe.

The challenge
Clouds are a very important, yet not well understood feedback factor in climate change and they contribute to the effective radiative forcing (ERF) from aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI). The uncertainty of this radiative forcing is larger than for any other forcing agent (greenhouse gases, ozone, contrails, etc.). Additionally, feedbacks between the terrestrial and marine biosphere and the atmosphere involving ACI may play an important role in regulating climate change, but their relevance remains poorly quantified.

Project objectives
BACCHUS aims at quantifying key processes and feedbacks controlling ACI by combining advanced measurements of cloud and aerosol properties with state-of-the-art numerical modelling. Analysing contrasting environments is the guiding strategy for BACCHUS. We investigate the importance of biogenic versus anthropogenic emissions for ACI in regions that are key regulators of Earth's climate (Amazonian rain forest) or are regarded as tipping elements in the climate system (Arctic). We generate a unique database linking long-term observations and field campaign data of aerosol, cloud condensation and ice nuclei, and cloud microphysical properties.

The Cyprus Institute (CyI) will contribute to the provision of Ice Nuclei (IN) observations at a remote background site of Cyprus (Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory; http://www.cyi.ac.cy/index.php/cao.html). It will organize and host a large field campaign in Cyprus gathering IN data from ground-based in-situ observations, remote sensing, and the CyI unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Long term (1-year) observations of IN in Cyprus will be performed by the means of CyI UAVs collecting atmospheric within and above the boundary layer.

Contacts:
Prof Jean Sciare,    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel. +357 222 08700    +357 222 08 675

Prof Nikos Mihalopoulos,    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel. +357 22208700    +357 22208601

Prof Mihalis Vrekoussis,    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel. +357 22208700    +357 22208698