Project description
Understanding the mechanisms of enhanced cloud ice levels in mixed-phase clouds
Clouds regulate the Earth’s energy balance and play an important role in the climate's response to changing greenhouse gas levels. They also create precipitation that affects the supply of fresh water on Earth. However, clouds – in particular mixed-phase clouds, which consist of both liquid water and ice – are the largest source of predictive error in any atmospheric and climate models. Focussing on mixed-phase clouds, the EU-funded SIMPHAC project intends to gain a quantitative understanding of the mechanisms responsible for enhanced cloud ice levels. It further aims to parametrise these processes for use in numerical models. To this end, it will use high-resolution models, a unique laboratory data set and in situ observations. This work will pave the way for more accurate weather predictions and climate projections.
Objective
Clouds may never have had a more important meaning to society as they have today. They regulate the Earth's energy balance and are key drivers of how climate responds to changing greenhouse gas levels. Moreover, they generate precipitation, which has a direct impact on the supply of fresh water on Earth. Clouds however are the most elusive component of the climate system, and the largest source of predictive error in any atmospheric and climate models. Of all cloud types, mixed-phase (consisting of both liquid water and ice) clouds are by far the most uncertain, while they dominate the energy balance and precipitation in many regions of the globe. At the heart of this uncertainty is the inability to capture ice crystal formation and the explosive multiplication that can occur, which in turn fundamentally affect cloud processes. The exact mechanisms involved and their relative importance remain unknown; as a result a description of these processes is currently missing in weather forecast and climate models. Our aim is to resolve this ice formation “paradox”, by quantitatively understanding the mechanisms responsible for enhanced cloud ice levels, and develop parameterizations of these processes for use in numerical models. For this purpose we will use state-of-the-art highresolution models, a unique laboratory dataset and in-situ observations, while our parameterizations will be tested in a weather forecast model. Our initial focus will be in the Arctic, the most climatically sensitive region of the planet, but results have the potential to improve mixed-phase cloud representation at lower latitudes as well. As clouds are a critical component of the climate system, improving cloud-ice representation in models is expected to result in more accurate weather predictions and future climate projections
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences meteorology
- engineering and technology materials engineering crystals
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
70 013 IRAKLEIO
Greece
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.