ACTRIS: Cluj-Napoca's Babeș-Bolyai University to host aerosol, cloud remote sensing facilities

Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) of Cluj-Napoca, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Romania, will host two research facilities: one focusing on aerosol remote sensing and the other taking on cloud remote sensing.

ACTRIS is a research infrastructure that operates across Europe and is dedicated to generating top-notch data and information about short-lived atmospheric components and the mechanisms that cause these components to fluctuate in both natural and controlled atmospheric environments.

Under the "ACTRIS-UBB Infrastructure Development," the RON 22 million investment is a part of ACTRIS' 5 years plan to implement eight central facilities, costing them a total of EUR 100 million minus the annual operating costs of EUR 16 million. Being one of the founding members of ACTRIS, Romanian universities, including UBB, are among the key actors.

"ACTRIS is part of the broader smart specialization that UBB has proposed for the city/country, namely InfoBioNano4Health, and I am glad that this component of the smart specialization is already operational," said UBB rector Prof. Dr. Daniel David in the press release.

ACTRIS data is utilized by over 5,000 researchers from roughly 50 countries annually, resulting in precise forecasts for atmospheric conditions, including short-term weather alerts and health risk warnings, as well as long-term evaluations of climate change.

Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nicolae Ajtai, highlights that the composition of the atmosphere is currently causing significant environmental issues, ranging from adverse effects on human health and ecosystems to the occurrence of extreme phenomena that society is not yet equipped to handle.

And, to gain better comprehension and measurement of the crucial atmospheric processes involved, as well as to hold society accountable for mitigating their harmful effects, long-term observation and monitoring are imperative. ACTRIS now possesses a European mandate to deliver scientific truth in this field.

(Photo source: UBB Cluj/Facebook)