We are pleased to feature Mrs. Anastasia Pantazi, a PhD Student at the National Observatory of Athens, Greece, who received an EARLICOST grant to participate in the 32nd International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC32), held in Hiroshima, Japan, from 5-10 July 2026.

Anastasia presented research on Assessing Aerosol and Cloud Geometrical Features and Types over the Mediterranean: Insights from CALIPSO, CLOUDSAT and EarthCARE Missions.

The experience offered valuable opportunities to:

• Receive feedback from international experts
• Develop scientific communication skills
• Build new professional connections
• Increase the visibility of emerging research in the EARLICOST community

“Presenting our team’s recent results from the CALIPSO, CloudSat, and EarthCARE missions at the world’s leading lidar conference allowed me to demonstrate how EARLICOST is pioneering the combination of data from different satellite missions.“  

– Anastasia Pantazi

By supporting young researchers and innovators, EARLICOST contributes to the development of the next generation of atmospheric lidar experts.

Learn more about EARLICOST grants:  https://earlicost.eu/what-we-fund/  

We are pleased to feature Avinash Yadav, a PhD in Atmospheric and Climate Physics at University of Hertfordshire, UK, who received an EARLICOST grant to participate in the 32nd International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC32), held in Hiroshima, Japan, from 5-10 July 2026.

Avinash presented a poster on “Chemical Characterisation of Atmospheric Dust with Spectroscopic Lidar” which was awarded the Best Poster Prize! This work presents the first atmospheric detection of mineral-specific Raman signatures from Saharan dust using the LITES lidar facility at the University of Hertfordshire. More details on this work can be found in their recent publication: https://lnkd.in/eXDhBCP2 

The experience offered valuable opportunities to:

• Receive feedback from international experts
• Develop scientific communication skills
• Build new professional connections
• Increase the visibility of emerging research in the EARLICOST community

“As a PhD student, my motivation to participate in the ILRC stems from the critical need to validate and advance my research on a global stage. My current work, focusing on the novel spectroscopic lidar and chemical characterization of atmospheric mineral dust, sits at the intersection of innovative lidar technology and advancement in aerosol chemistry. Presenting these findings at ILRC is a vital milestone for my academic and professional development.”
– Avinash Yadav

By supporting young researchers and innovators, EARLICOST contributes to the development of the next generation of atmospheric lidar experts.

Learn more about EARLICOST grants:  https://earlicost.eu/what-we-fund/  

Μeet Dr. Alexandra Tsekeri, Post-Doc Researcher at the National Observatory of Athens, Greece, who received an EARLICOST ITC Conference Grant to participate in the 32nd International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC32), held in Hiroshima, Japan, from 5-10 July 2026.

At the conference, Alexandra presented “Saharan Dust PLDR Using Realistic Shapes, Sizes and Refractive Indices”  as an oral presentation, part of Session O6: Lidar studies of clouds, aerosols and their interactions.

The grant provided an opportunity to:

• Communicate with experts in the field of active remote sensing
• Receive valuable feedback on the methodology and results of the study
• Increase the visibility of EARLICOST and its work on advanced atmospheric profiling technologies 

“The accurate modelling of the dust optical properties is an open scientific question, particularly for the backscatter, mainly due to the irregular shapes and large sizes of the particles. The results presented in ILRC32 conference of a new dust scattering model contribute in improving the representation of non-spherical aerosols in lidar retrieval algorithms, supporting EARLICOST objectives on advancing atmospheric profiling products. ILRC32 conference was an ideal forum to facilitate communication and possibly the application of the developed dust scattering model within the lidar remote-sensing community.”

– Dr. Alexandra Tsekeri

Learn more about EARLICOST grants:  https://earlicost.eu/what-we-fund/  

Are you a high-level researcher in physics or atmospheric sciences looking for your next big challenge? Imagine leading cutting-edge climate research and inspiring the next generation of scientists, all while living in a UNESCO World Heritage tropical paradise.

Université de La Réunion is officially recruiting a Full Professor (Professeur des Universités) specializing in Mechanics, with expertise in Atmospheric Aerosols!

This tenured position is based in Saint-Denis de la Réunion, within the Faculté des Sciences et Technologies – Université de La Réunion, with research activities hosted at the Laboratoire de l’Atmosphère et des Cyclones.

Deadline to apply is September 1st, 2026.

Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dN9TjNJF

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to merge world-class atmospheric research with an exceptional quality of life!

photo credit: https://lacy.univ-reunion.fr/

EarliCOST participated in the 32nd International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC32), held from 5-10 July 2026 in Hiroshima, Japan.

Organized by the Laser Radar Society of Japan (LRSJ) under the auspices of the International Coordination Group on Laser Atmospheric Studies (ICLAS), ILRC32 brought together the international lidar community to exchange the latest advances in atmospheric remote sensing and Earth observation.

The conference featured cutting-edge research on:

Lidar studies of clouds, aerosols, and their interactions
Advances in lidar techniques and methodologies
Ground-based lidars and networking
Coherent and incoherent wind lidar technologies and applications
Greenhouse and trace gases monitoring
Lidar observations in the stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere
Signal processing and AI/ML techniques for lidar data analysis
Model validation and data assimilation using lidar observations

EarliCOST was pleased to contribute to this leading international event and engage with researchers and experts from around the world.

For more information about the ILRC32: https://smartconf.jp/content/ilrc32/

The third edition of the AGORA International Doctoral Summer School on Atmospheric Characterization using In-situ and Remote Sensing Techniques has been successfully completed in Granada, Spain. Co-organized by the Doctoral School of Sciences, Technologies and Engineering of the University of Granada, the MSCA-SE project AERIS and the Cost Action EARLICOST, the school brought together early-career researchers, doctoral students and atmospheric science experts for an intensive training programme combining remote and on-site activities.

Participants received advanced training in atmospheric observations and remote sensing techniques through lectures, hands-on sessions and scientific projects covering topics such as lidar remote sensing, atmospheric spectroscopy, radar calibration, air quality monitoring, sun-photometry, bioaerosol observations and more.

A highlight of the programme was the field visit to the Sierra Nevada atmospheric station, providing participants with direct exposure to advanced atmospheric research infrastructure and measurement techniques.

Bringing together lecturers and researchers from leading ACTRIS facilities and institutions across Europe and beyond, the school fostered scientific exchange, collaboration and capacity building for the next generation of atmospheric scientists.

Congratulations to the organisers, lecturers and participants for the successful implementation of this outstanding training school!

For more information you can visit the school’s website: https://atmosphere.ugr.es/about/presentation/agora/training

The EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop 2026 was successfully held in Oxford,UK on 8–12 June 2026. The workshop provided an open forum for the science community to present and discuss EarthCARE science topics and results, fostering international collaboration in the scientific exploitation of EarthCARE and growing its user community.  Several members of the EARLICOST network actively participated in the workshop, reflecting the network’s contribution to the development of new EarthCARE products and the validation activities supporting the mission.

The workshop focused on a broad range of scientific and validation priorities, including:

• Synergies with past, present, and future satellite missions, as well as ground-based and airborne observations
• Applications for Earth System Models, mesoscale atmospheric models, atmospheric composition models, Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and cloud models. 
• Novel scientific use cases and applications for EarthCARE within and beyond the cloud, precipitation, aerosol and radiation interaction domain
• Insights into climate process studies and trend assessments, and contributions to essential climate variables (ECVs) 
• Innovative information technologies (including AI) in the exploitation and evolution of EarthCARE’s observations
• Supporting a new, diverse generation of remote sensing atmospheric scientists to explore EarthCARE and associated observations in the future
• Quantitative inter-comparisons and statistical assessments of EarthCARE product quality
• Evaluation of validation achievements and identification of areas for further improvement

The EARLICOST network serves as an important platform for advancing EarthCARE science and fostering collaboration across the atmospheric research community. 

More information on the workshop can be found on the following webpage: https://www.earthcare-science-validation-2026.org/

EARLICOST is pleased to highlight a recent publication in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques:

“Hybrid methodology for optimised water vapour mixing ratio profiles from Raman lidar measurements”

Water vapour is one of the most important constituents of the Earth’s atmosphere, playing a crucial role in atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud formation, radiative processes, and climate variability. Accurate and continuous observations are essential for improving our understanding of atmospheric processes and future climate projections.

The study presents a hybrid methodology for retrieving high-quality water vapour mixing ratio profiles from Raman lidar measurements. The proposed approach combines Raman lidar observations with GNSS-derived precipitable water vapour data and numerical weather prediction and reanalysis data.

Applied to 14 years of measurements (2009–2022) from the EARLINET/ACTRIS Granada station, the methodology significantly expanded the available calibration dataset, increasing it from only 31 radiosonde-based calibration cases to more than 2,000 calibration values. This enabled the development of a comprehensive long-term database of water vapour mixing ratio profiles.

The work demonstrates the importance of advanced lidar methodologies for atmospheric monitoring, climate research, and the development of long-term observational datasets.

We congratulate Arlett Díaz-Zurita and all co-authors on this valuable contribution to the atmospheric remote sensing community.

Publication: 

Díaz-Zurita, A., Pérez-Ramírez, D., Whiteman, D. N., Rodríguez-Navarro, O., Naval-Hernández, V. M., Muñiz-Rosado, J., Fernández-Carvelo, S., Abril-Gago, J., del Águila, A., Ortiz-Amezcua, P., Bravo-Aranda, J. A., Granados-Muñoz, M. J., Guerrero-Rascado, J. L., Antón, M., Vaquero-Martínez, J., Foyo-Moreno, I., Benavent-Oltra, J. A., Alados-Arboledas, L., and Navas-Guzmán, F.: Hybrid methodology for optimised water vapour mixing ratio profiles from Raman lidar measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3169–3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3169-2026 , 2026.

📖 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3169-2026

We are honored to announce the upcoming 3rd edition of the AGORA International Doctoral Summer School on characterization of atmospheric aerosol using in-situ and remote sensing techniques, organized in the framework of the ATMO-ACCESS project.

When: 1–19 June 2026

Where:  Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA-CEAMA), Granada, Spain

Format: Hybrid

This edition is co-organized by the Doctoral School of Sciences, Technologies and Engineering of the University of Granada, the MSCA-SE project AERIS and the COST Action EARLICOST.

The lectures provide fundamental knowledge in novel, advanced techniques for measuring atmospheric properties, covering in situ, remote sensing, and laboratory-based instruments. This hybrid training school will be held face-to-face at the Andalusian Global ObseRvatory of the Atmosphere (AGORA) in Granada (Spain), including a visit to the Sierra Nevada station and hands-on training for some novel instruments. 

Target audience: The training school is intended mainly for researchers and technicians from the atmospheric field (such as advanced master students, doctoral students, early-career scientists, or technicians).

Further information is available on the official AGORA Training School webpage.

We are pleased to announce the upcoming Joint EARLINET & EARLICOST Meeting, which will take place in Athens, Greece, from 8 to 11 September 2026.

The event will bring together the EARLINET community and the EARLICOST COST Action Working Groups for scientific discussions, coordination activities, collaborative sessions and networking across the atmospheric remote sensing community.

Venue

National Observatory of Athens (NOA)
Kronou 7B, Penteli, Greece

Preliminary Agenda

Tuesday, 8 September 2026
09:00 – 10:00 | EARLICOST Core Group Meeting
10:30 – 12:30 | EARLICOST WG Meeting (all WGs)
13:30 – 17:00 | EARLINET Community Meeting

Wednesday, 9 September 2026
09:00 – 17:00 |EARLICOST WG Meetings

Thursday, 10 September 2026
09:30 – 12:30 | EARLICOST WG3 Meeting with Industry
14:30 – 17:00 | EARLICOST WG Meetings

Friday, 11 September 2026
09:00 – 12:00 | EARLICOST WG Meetings (all groups)
13:00 – 15:00 | EARLICOST Management Committee (MC) Meeting

Further information regarding the registration  and the detailed agenda will be shared in due course.

We look forward to welcoming you to Athens!

Useful Links

EARLINET Network:
 🔗 https://www.earlinet.org/index.php?id=105