Our PhD candidates Peristera Paschou and Ioanna Tsikoudi have returned from the ACTRIS week 2024 in Matera, Southern Italy, energized by a wealth of new insights that underscore our team’s commitment to advancing research through continuous learning and collaboration.

The Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) is a leading pan-European research network focused on providing high-quality data on atmospheric constituents—essential for advancing our understanding of climate change, air quality and public health.

At the event that took place on November 5-7, Peristera and Ioanna actively participated in workshops focused on remote sensing for aerosols and cloud monitoring, organized by the ACTRIS Center for Aerosol Remote Sensing (CARS), the Aerosol Remote Sensing unit of the ACTRIS Data Centre (ARES), and the ACTRIS Centre for Cloud Remote Sensing (CCRES). The workshops emphasized the importance of rigorous calibration, validation, and quality assurance practices for maintaining data accuracy and reliability — essential for impactful atmospheric research and modeling.

On the final day, the aerosol and cloud communities came together to discuss the EarthCARE satellite calibration and validation (Cal/Val) pilot, as well as the future developments in synergy products that combine both aerosol and cloud remote sensing data from the ATLID lidar and CPR radar.

Ioanna and Peristera returned with a renewed dedication to their research, ready to apply these insights to their ongoing work in calibrating and validating high-quality atmospheric data — fundamental to all future progress in atmospheric sciences.