Ruisdael Observatory

We are excited to announce that Ruisdael Observatory is making it easier for researchers to access top-notch #ACTRIS facilities. Through the ITINERIS–ACTRIS Access Pilot Call, international scientists can connect with cutting-edge Dutch research sites like the #Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research (#CESAR) and the Dutch Centre for Cloud Remote Sensing, led by Herman Russchenberg. These facilities, equipped with instruments funded by #Ruisdael, are essential for studying #airquality, climate processes, and more. At Ruisdael, we bring together the brightest minds from universities and research institutions across the Netherlands to tackle key environmental challenges. By supporting collaborative projects and sharing our findings during events like the Ruisdael Science Day, we’re driving forward the understanding of critical issues like #nitrogenemissions and #climatechange. By pooling our resources and expertise, we are better equipped to make contributions to understanding climate change and air quality not just nationally but internationally as well. FInd out more about ITINERIS: https://lnkd.in/djpxnCTn ACTRIS-RI | ATMO-ACCESS

For the past year and a half, researchers from TU Delft and the University of Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair have been collaborating on pioneering techniques aimed at enhancing cloud reflectivity to combat #climatechange. On Wednesday, a delegation from #Cambridge visited Delft to mark the start of a two-day meeting to review the project's progress. Supported by the Refreeze the Arctic Foundation, this initiative focuses on using #seawater sprays to release salt crystals into the atmosphere, which may boost cloud reflectivity and reduce global warming. Cambridge is developing the technical framework for the system, while the TU Delft, led by Herman Russchenberg, is evaluating its environmental impacts. Russchenberg noted: "We've taken the first steps in preparing emergency climate measures. If needed, we must deploy these methods responsibly, even though our hope is to never use them." As the scientific coordinator of #Ruisdael Observatory, Herman Russchenberg played and continues to play an important role in the foundation and progress of this observatory, which is making a simulation of the entire Dutch atmosphere at a resolution of 100 metres. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dPHx5Tx2 📸 Robèrt Kroonen TU Delft | Civil Engineering and Geosciences | Universiteitsfonds Delft | The Green Village | Floor Pino | Eelco Akkerboom | Annelot Broerze

Reliable #solar radiation and photovoltaic power prediction is essential for the safe and stable operation of electric power systems. #Cloud cover is highly related to solar radiation, but existing advection-/extrapolation-based cloud forecast methods have difficulties in capturing cloud development. Researchers from KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute have applied and compared two deep learning models and an advection method (optical flow) for solar radiation forecasting on the basis of geostationary satellite observations. Data from the Ruisdael Observatory station in #Cabauw was used for validation. The results are now published in a journal article in Solar Energy. All methods were validated using ground-based observations from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) station in Cabauw. The forecast accuracy of each method also depends on sky conditions. With the code being open-sourced, the study findings are expected to encourage the inclusion of satellite data in solar radiation nowcasting, and can provide scientific guidance for power systems and solar power plants. Find out more about the different methods here: https://lnkd.in/eCGwVqm4 📸 Arnoud Apituley Ping Wang | Jan Fokke Meirink | Nikolaos Ntantis | Wouter van der Knaap | Delft University of Technology

That is a wrap! Our annual Science Day has come to an end, thank you all for your presence, input and tireless efforts in better understanding #climate processes. We look back on an insightful day at Universiteit Utrecht with all our partners. The Science Day was kicked off by introductions from Arnoud Apituley from KNMI - Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut and Caroline Kohlmann from TU Delft, taking us on a trip down memory lane to the very start of #Ruisdael, up until now and our future ambitions. Among many more, Philippe Steeghs from KNMI spoke about the FTO Crutzen Initiative, Folkert Boersma from Wageningen University & Research on the ambition to put Ruisdael measurement stations out at sea. Filled with presentations, the day was split into various topics: #airquality, #radiation, #wind, #precipitation, #clouds and #modelling. Experts and researchers from various backgrounds were able to share their knowledge and insights. Arnoud Apituley looks back on a successful day: “This unique network of measuring instruments and stakeholders spread across the Netherlands measures the atmosphere in unprecedented detail, from clouds and precipitation to wind, greenhouse gases, and aerosols. Today, a lot of our experts from various backgrounds and disciplines came together to share and further develop these crucial insights.” Did you miss it, or would you like a little reminder of the Science Day? Keep an eye out for our after movie, which we will be sharing soon! 📸 Robèrt Kroonen & Iris Klop TNO | Rijksuniversiteit Groningen | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu | Enrico Dammers | Thomas Rockmann | Xin Tong | Louise Nuijens | Chiel van Heerwaarden | Marleen van Soest | Marc Schleiss | Arseniy Karagodin | Ewout Melman | Arjan Hensen | Kim Faassen | Andre Castro

To celebrate and recognise the crucial role of #OpenScience in the advancement of science, the Network of Open Science Communities in the Netherlands (#OSC-NL) has organised its first #NationalOpenScienceWeek, at the TU Delft | Library. During yesterday’s session ‘Beyond the Lab: Harnessing the Power of Science with Citizens’, #Ruisdael researcher Marc Schleiss took part in the panel discussion. His work focuses on the measurement, modeling and prediction of precipitation based on ground observations and remote sensing techniques such as disdrometers, weather radar, satellites and telecommunication links. One of his primary research objectives is to increase our understanding of how #climatechange affects the frequency, intensity and dynamics of extreme #rainfall across the globe and how these changes impact the environment, economy and society. Marc believes that citizen science holds great promise for improving precipitation measurements, especially in urban areas where professional data tend to be scarce. However, he also points out the considerable scientific and technological challenges that still must be overcome before citizen rainfall observations can be effectively utilized on both national and international levels. During this Open Science Week, the focus lies on the growing recognition within the #research community of open science's critical impact on scientific progress and innovation. While open science garners broad support, its practical implementation often faces challenges due to the additional time and resources that are required. More about the Open Science Week: https://lnkd.in/eiJymZ6P 📸 Robèrt Kroonen #OpenScience #TUDelft #TUDelftLibrary #OpenAcces #Innovation #Collaboration Delft University of Technology | TU Delft | Civil Engineering and Geosciences | TU Delft Campus

Sunlight varies on scales as small as seconds or tens of metres, largely due to #clouds. Not much is known about the variations of this fundamental #solarenergy input on such small scales. However, atmospheric models are beginning to resolve individual clouds and the demand for accurate solar radiation predictions is increasing with the rapid growth of solar energy. At Wageningen University & Research, #PhD researcher Wouter Mol is promoting on this very topic. In his thesis, he quantifies the variability of #sunlight with spatial measurements using new, low-cost instruments. He then analyses these new and other existing measurements to understand the relationship with all kinds of clouds. For his research, Wouter used measurement instruments and data from our measurement station in #Cabauw. The new observations and insights from this research will help build and validate new models that can resolve small-scale variations in sunlight in the presence of clouds. We look forward to his findings. If you would like to know more or attend, please take a look here: https://lnkd.in/eftb6m3D Chiel van Heerwaarden | Bert Heusinkveld | Maarten Krol | KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute | Delft University of Technology | #WUR

Last week, the ICOS - Integrated Carbon Observation System Science Conference 2024 took place at the Versailles Palais des Congrès in France, with participants joining both in-person and remotely. The fully hybrid event centered around the theme “From GHG observations through science to services,” bringing together experts to discuss the latest advancements in ICOS’s three core domains: #atmosphere, #ecosystem and #ocean. In the atmosphere domain, #Ruisdael researcher Arseniy Karagodin presented his work on ‘High-resolution modeling of CO2 in the Netherlands and the dispersion of emissions from the Randstad using DALES.’ His research introduces a novel simulation platform, combining an emission downscaling workflow with DALES extensions to compute CO2 concentration variability at a detailed 100m horizontal resolution. This platform offers a new method for evaluating national emission inventories, distinguishing itself by explicitly simulating atmospheric CO2 fluxes in the Netherlands, and accounting for turbulent mixing and transport through Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Validation against in-situ observations and the LOTOS-EUROS CTM underscores both the improvements and the remaining challenges in integrating explicit turbulence into high-resolution CO2 modeling. The video below depicts the daily cycle of near-surface CO₂ concentrations (in ppm) simulated with DALES, taken on 26 June 2018. Find out more about the conference here: https://lnkd.in/dW22aVSj Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) | Wageningen University & Research | Delft University of Technology | KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute | Sander Houweling

Herman Russchenberg, professor Atmposheric Remote Sensing at Delft University of Technology, has been on air on NPO Radio 1 and spoke about the power of #clouds. During an episode of ‘De Dag’, Russchenberg discussed techniques to slow down #climatechange. His research focuses on adapting clouds in order to reflect more sunlight and keep the earth cooler. With the right tools, such as ships, pomps and nebulisers, Russchenberg believes we can make a real difference within ten years. Listen to the episode (in Dutch) here: https://lnkd.in/e3VN3WN3 TU Delft | Civil Engineering and Geosciences | KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

Over the last summer you might have seen some beautiful sunsets. Have you ever wondered how these come about? Researchers at KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute were able to link forest fires in Canada to bright red-orange skies during sunset in the Netherlands. Last month, thick clouds of smoke gathered over forests in eastern #Canada. Within seven days, the smoke reached the Netherlands at an altitude of three to four kilometres, carried along by a strong westerly #wind. Using #KNMI's cloud altimeter at measuring station #Cabauw, part of Ruisdael Observatory, researchers of KNMI measured not only high and low clouds, but also a veil of smoke at three to four kilometres altitude. As the evening progressed, the veil of smoke thickened. The red light of the setting sun shines through the veil and is scattered by the smoke particles. The result: a horizon with a beautiful red-orange glow. New measurement and #lidar instruments played a key role in uncovering this data, which were funded by Ruisdael Observatory. Lidar, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to determine distances to the Earth's surface. The smoke plume measured by the large Raman lidar (Caeli) can also be seen in the Windcube200S Doppler lidar at Cabauw, with the Doppler lidar mainly measuring the wind at the height of the smoke plume. This provides additional information about the transport of the smoke plume such as quantity. Read the whole article here: https://lnkd.in/eH_7vSQd Delft University of Technology | KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute | Arnoud Apituley | Diego Alves Gouveia | Frank Selten

Accurate models and measurements are vital in understanding our impact and efforts when it comes to #climatechange. Antarctica has long been considered the “sleeping giant” of sea level rise, but it is poised to overtake Greenland as the main contributor by the end of this century. The devil is in the details when it comes to this contribution as ice shelf fragmentation is accelerated by multiple brief and very local melting events. And with satellite remote sensing data either having a high spatial resolution, or a high frequency in time, these often aren’t caught. #PhD researcher Sophie de Roda Husman focused her research on this challenge, which earned her the Best Climate Action Paper of 2023. Her research on "A high-resolution record of surface melt on Antarctic ice shelves using multi-source remote sensing data and deep learning" led her to the final in the category 'Climate Science' of the TU Delft Climate Action Programme. Sophie combined the gigantic datasets available to develop a Machine Learning model that overcomes these limitations. She subsequently created a historical record of #Antarctic surface melt that is high-resolution in both space and time. Other scientists can use it to develop improved climate models and hydrological models that may reduce the uncertainty in modelled sea level rise by 2100. More info: https://lnkd.in/guayDMqE #climateaction #measurement #research Delft University of Technology | TU Delft | Civil Engineering and Geosciences