Project description
Shedding more light on aerosol photochemistry
The chemistry of our atmosphere is more complex than it seems. While volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to react with sunlight to form secondary pollutants, recent discoveries reveal that aqueous aerosols – tiny water-containing particles in the air – play a significantly bigger role. These aerosols act as miniature chemical reactors, altering how VOCs interact with sunlight and potentially accelerating the formation of secondary organic aerosols, which contribute to air pollution and climate change. Despite its vast influence, the impact of photochemistry in aqueous aerosols is mostly ignored by current atmospheric models. The ERC-funded ISPAMIA project aims to fill that gap. Researchers will develop a global understanding of photochemical reactions in aqueous aerosols by exploiting recent breakthroughs in computational chemistry.
Objective
Our atmosphere is not only composed of simple di- or triatomic molecules, but also of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can undergo chemical or photochemical reactions following sunlight absorption to produce even more complex molecules responsible for the appearance of secondary pollutants. Yet, this ‘gas-phase’ picture of atmospheric chemistry has recently been challenged by the realization that aqueous aerosols – water microdroplets or other hygroscopic atmospheric aerosols with a water layer – act as true miniature chemical reactors and alter the sunlight-induced photochemical reactivity of VOCs. Aqueous aerosols are also suspected to catalyze the formation of secondary organic aerosols, strong contributors to radiative forcing and air pollution. Given that the total surface area of aerosols in the atmosphere is greater than the combined surface area of all bodies of water on Earth, the influence of aerosol photochemistry can be tremendous on the composition of our atmosphere. Still, the impact of aqueous aerosols on photochemical processes is completely neglected in most chemical models used by atmospheric modelers to predict the evolution and composition of the atmosphere, as well as inform political decisions on pollution management. This lack of knowledge is rooted in the challenge of performing photochemical experiments in aqueous aerosols and the absence of a theoretical framework to model such photochemical processes in complex environments.
This project, ISPAMIA, launches the field of in silico aerosol photochemistry and will develop a global understanding of photochemical reactions in aqueous aerosols by exploiting our recent breakthroughs in theoretical/computational chemistry. ISPAMIA goes beyond pure theoretical curiosity as it aims to calculate actual photochemical observables and determine simple rules that can be included in atmospheric models in collaboration with atmospheric scientists to achieve, ultimately, a direct social impact.
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.
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.
- natural sciences chemical sciences physical chemistry photochemistry
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
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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)
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.
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
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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
BS8 1QU BRISTOL
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.