Project description
How external space factors influence the atmosphere
A fundamental question in geoscience is how space weather influences Earth’s atmosphere, particularly in high-latitude regions. The mesosphere, lower thermosphere, and ionosphere (MLTI) are affected by charged particle precipitation and Joule heating. These processes can generate trace gases that deplete ozone, introducing uncertainties into climate models. The ERC-funded LOUARN project will investigate the MLTI’s response to space weather by integrating space physics and atmospheric sciences. Using advanced ground-based instruments, numerical simulations, and citizen science, the project will quantify energy deposition in the MLTI during geomagnetic disturbances and establish upper boundary conditions for ozone balance. It will also examine how winds and atmospheric waves react to space-driven processes. These insights will enhance climate modelling and deepen our understanding of space-atmosphere interactions.
Objective
This project will address a major unsolved question in geosciences: how strongly is our planet's atmosphere subjected to forcing from space? The mesosphere–lower-thermosphere–ionosphere (MLTI) is the boundary of the Earth environment, and as such it undergoes forcing from above, in particular at high latitudes. The forcing includes charged particle precipitation from near-Earth space, associated with electric currents producing Joule heating in the upper atmosphere. It also involves trace gas production in the mesosphere which catalytically destroy ozone – including down to the stratosphere when long-lived species descend to lower altitudes – as well as neutral wind changes and atmospheric wave generation. However, these effects in terms of MLTI energetics, chemistry, and dynamics are largely unquantified, leading to unknown uncertainties in lower atmosphere and climate model results. The LOUARN project will bridge this gap by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, combining knowledge and methods from space physics and atmosphere sciences. With LOUARN, I aim at unravelling the MLTI forcing from space by using cutting-edge ground-based instruments measuring both the ionised medium and the neutral gas properties, together with numerical simulations of the upper atmosphere and novel citizen science methods. My objectives are to (1) quantify the energy deposited into the MLTI during geomagnetic disturbances, (2) provide accurate upper-boundary conditions on the ozone balance for atmosphere and climate models, and (3) characterise the wind and atmospheric wave response to this driving from space. My expertise in ionospheric physics and its driving from near-Earth space processes, along with my leadership in auroral citizen science, puts me in an ideal position to address this ambitious challenge. I aim at a breakthrough in atmosphere–ionosphere–space couplings with impacts on atmosphere and climate sciences and on solar–terrestrial physics.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications radio technology radar
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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00560 Helsinki
Finland
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