European Atmospheric Research Lidar Cooperation of Science and Technology
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Atmospheric aerosols are small particles suspended in the air. Most of them have a short lifetime, typically lasting from a few days to a few weeks—especially near the Earth’s surface.
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Some smaller particles can rise to higher levels of the atmosphere. At these altitudes, they can remain in the air for much longer—even for several years.
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These short-lived atmospheric constituents originate from a variety of natural sources, but also human activities.
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Suspended in the atmosphere at different altitudes, aerosol effects on radiation and clouds play a major role in climate-relevant processes and in socio-economic sectors.
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Nowadays, advanced lidar systems are capable of continuous, unattended operation for regular atmospheric monitoring.
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Although highly effective, lidar systems still face challenges in calibration, data processing, and harmonised interpretation across networks – challenges that EARLICOST aims to address.
EARLICOST brings together the global aerosol lidar community to advance, harmonise, and transfer state-of-the-art atmospheric profiling technologies, improving our understanding of aerosols, clouds, and their impacts on air quality, climate, and society.
News
EARLICOST meets in Athens!
September 8, 2026
The EARLICOST community has come together in Athens for the EARLINET GA & EARLICOST WG & MC Live Meeting, taking place from 8–11 September 2026.
138 participants from 26 countries have joined us in Athens, bringing together researchers from across Europe and beyond for four days of scientific exchange, collaboration and community building.
Over the coming days, the programme will bring together the EARLICOST Working Groups, Management Committee and the wider EARLINET community, with scientific presentations, grantee flash talks, Working Group sessions, engagement with industry, and discussions on exploitation, dissemination and the priorities ahead.
Today, we begin by bringing the community together, sharing progress across the Action and its Working Groups, and setting…
From 8–11 September 2026, the EARLICOST community will meet in Athens for four days dedicated to atmospheric lidar science, collaboration and the future of our growing European network.
The programme will bring together the EARLICOST Working Groups and Management Committee alongside the EARLINET community, with scientific presentations, grantee flash talks, dedicated Working Group sessions, engagement with industry and discussions on exploitation, dissemination and outreach.
The meeting will also provide an opportunity to reflect on EARLICOST’s first year and jointly shape priorities for Year 2.
We look forward to welcoming the EARLICOST community to Athens!
EARLICOST Virtual Network Support Grant Call Is Now Open!
September 3, 2026
EARLICOST COST Action is offering a new funding opportunity to support virtual networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange across the Action.
Available Grant:
Virtual Network Support (VNS) Grant – Support for the strategic development of virtual networking practices within EARLICOST, including the development of a Virtual Networking Strategy and the conceptual design of the EARLICOST Virtual Knowledge Base.
Important Dates:
Application deadline: 06 September 2026
Notification of Results: 10 September 2026
VNS Activity Period: 10 September 2026 – 16 October 2026
Report submission deadline: 19 October 2026
How to Apply:
1. Read the funding rules here:
Annotated Rules:…
A Strong EARLICOST Presence at the EarthCARE 2026 Science and Validation Workshop
August 27, 2026
A strong EARLICOST presence was on display at the EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop, held in Oxford on 8–12 June 2026. The event marked another milestone in the European Space Agency’s exciting collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, who have teamed up to shed light on the mysteries of our climate system through EarthCARE (Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer). The satellite carries four instruments, an atmospheric lidar, cloud profiling radar, multispectral imager and broadband radiometer, which were all put under the spotlight now that data products are all publicly available.
More than twenty EARLICOST members took part in the workshop, showcasing their latest research, exchanging ideas with leading international experts, and…
EARLICOST Grantees | Dissemination Conference Grant
August 20, 2026
Through an EARLICOST Dissemination Conference Grant, Sol Fernández-Carvelo, PhD student in the Atmospheric Physics Research Group (GFAT), Department of Applied Physics, University of Granada (UGR), Spain, participated in ILRC 2026 and presented his research on advanced lidar techniques for aerosol characterization.
At the conference, Sol presented “GENERALIFE: Synergistic Raman Lidar and Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Enhanced Aerosol Typing”. Sol also presented work led by Samuel Villalba-Torres on high-resolution elastic lidar inversion techniques.
The conference provided an important opportunity to share EARLICOST-related research with the international lidar community, exchange expertise, strengthen existing collaborations and explore new opportunities for joint work across…
New Publication: Validation of ceilometer aerosol profile retrievals using sun–sky photometer and balloon-borne in situ measurements
August 4, 2026
We are pleased to share a new publication supported by COST Action EARLICOST (CA24135).
“Validation of ceilometer aerosol profile retrievals using sun–sky photometer and balloon-borne in situ measurements” — published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Copernicus/EGU).
This study evaluates the capability of operational ceilometers to retrieve aerosol backscatter and extinction profiles through a comprehensive evaluation against independent reference datasets.
Key highlights from the study:
Two retrieval approaches are compared: the traditional Klett–Fernald backward inversion and a forward iterative method with independent calibration, evaluated against synergistic GRASPpac products and balloon-borne COBALD in situ measurements
Observations were collected at three…
Connect the LiDAR community to advance and harmonize the most innovative features in lidar technology, and create collaborative hubs with industry and end-users to maximize the scientific and societal impact of atmospheric profiling.
Background
LiDAR systems, while highly effective and capable of continuous, unattended operation for regular atmospheric monitoring, face several operational challenges – including standardized calibration techniques, data processing and interpretation – which will be the main focus of EARLICOST.
Work Plan
The work plan is organized into four focused Working Groups and incorporates collaborative activities, workshops, and short-term scientific missions to maximize knowledge exchange and technical progress.
Vision
Establish a transnational, collaborative network bridging researchers, industry, and end-users to advance lidar-based atmospheric profiling through harmonized technology, standardized practices, and innovative multi-sensor synergies, ultimately transforming scattered expertise into a coordinated, high-impact community.
Working Groups
WG1 | Sensing Technology
Advance innovative lidar techniques (HSRL, fluorescence, thermodynamic profiling) and harmonise measurement methodologies, algorithms, and calibration procedures across Europe.
WG2 | Data Treatment and Synergies
Improve lidar data exploitation by enhancing synergies with complementary sensors and advancing microphysical retrieval algorithms for aerosol and cloud studies.
WG3 | Users’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement
Strengthen collaboration with industry and end users to facilitate technology transfer, define user-driven requirements, and maximise the societal and operational impact of lidar observations.
WG4 | Dissemination and Outreach
Coordinate communication, dissemination, and outreach activities, supporting European and international initiatives and ensuring broad visibility and uptake of EARLICOST results.
Advancing atmospheric lidar science to better understand aerosols, air quality, and climate
