| Issue |
EPJ Web Conf.
Volume 362, 2026
31st International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC 31) Held Together with the 22nd Coherent Laser Radar Conference (CLRC 22)
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 10009 | |
| Number of page(s) | 3 | |
| Section | Airborne Lidar Investigations, Large Scale Field Experiments, and Synergistic Use of Lidar and Other Instruments | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202636210009 | |
| Published online | 09 April 2026 | |
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202636210009
Synergy of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Ground-based remote sensing for spaceborne lidar calibration and validation
(a) Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, 2121 Cyprus
(b) Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, 15236 Greece
(c) Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, RG6 6ET United Kingdom
(d) Environment & Climate, Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, Limassol, 3012 Cyprus
Published online: 9 April 2026
Abstract
The Cyprus Institute has acquired expertise during the ASKOS campaign, for the Cal/Val of Aeolus, through the deployment of our UAVs in Cabo Verde, equipped with aerosol and cloud instruments (optical particle counters, backscatter sonde, and impactors for dust sample collection). The UAVs reached altitudes up to ~5,000 m above sea level, and measured the height-resolved particle size-distribution and the mineralogy of airborne dust, and were co-located with ground-based remote sensing activities. These observational platforms will also be deployed for the Cal/Val of EarthCARE, expected to be launched this year, together with our ground-based lidar, sunphotometers and ceilometers. In this presentation, I will present these efforts, discuss the strategic location of Cyprus for aerosol studies, and highlight the great potential coming from the collaboration with the nearby remote sensing facilities of the ERATOSTHENES centre of excellence.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2026
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