Belgisch Instituut voor Ruimte Aeronomie (BIRA-IASB)

BIRA-IASB (Belgisch Instituut voor Ruimte Aeronomie - Institut d’Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique) is a Belgian Federal Research organization established in 1964, where about 90 scientists carry out research and scientific services in space aeronomy. BIRA-IASB has a pioneering expertise in the remote sensing and numerical modelling of chemistry and physics of the atmosphere of the Earth, planets and comets, and of space physics. It performs fundamental research but also delivers scientific services in the fields of space weather, chemical weather, UV index and stratospheric ozone monitoring etc. Its Atmospheric Composition Division carries out a suite of observational and modelling studies of the troposphere and the stratosphere in relation to climate change, stratospheric ozone, global air quality, polar processes, and the evolution of greenhouse gases and other ECVs in support of the Kyoto Protocol. Its expertise in atmospheric remote sensing covers all types of platforms, and includes the development and operation of space missions and instruments, retrieval algorithms, validation activities and geophysical data exploitation. Its expertise in numerical modelling spans radiative transfer, chemicaltransport modelling, chemical data assimilation and inverse modelling in the troposphere and stratosphere. BIRA-IASB is involved in major past, current and future EO satellite missions, esp. of ESA and EUMETSAT, like GOME, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, IASI, ACE-FTS, OMI, and the Copernicus Sentinel-5P and Sentinels 4 and 5. It plays a leading role in the NDACC monitoring network, and is also member of the TCCON network. It is involved in several EU, ESA and EUMETSAT projects: EU GEOmon, NORS, QA4ECV, ACTRIS, Marco Polo, MACC-II/III, ESA CCI, GECA, GLOBEMISSION, Multi-TASTE, SACS and EUMETSAT O3M SAF.

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Key project participants________________________________________________________

Prof. Dr M. De Mazière is Director General a.i. of BIRA-IASB, and an invited professor at the University of Gent in tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry and global changes. With BIRA-IASB since 1988, she has acquired a broad expertise in all aspects of the remote sensing of atmospheric composition using infrared spectrometric techniques, from ground and space, including development of instruments and retrieval algorithms, data analysis and validation, and geophysical studies. She is PI of two FTIR instruments at Ile de La Réunion, operated as part of the NDACC and TCCON networks. She co-chaired the NDACC Infrared WG (2006-2013) and is now a NDACC Co-chair. Activity coordinator in EU FP6 GEOmon and in ESA’s GECA project, and coordinator of the previous EU FP 6 UFTIR and, of the current FP7 project NORS, she participates in the CEOS Cal/Val Infrastructure WG, is involved in the ESA CCI-GHG and aerosol projects, in EU FP7 InGOS and ICOS_Inwire, and in a project aiming at the demonstration of aircore launches at Ile de La Reunion for the calibration of TCCONdata. Key role on the project: Staff working for the beneficiary – Tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry network contribution in the ENEON.