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Many aspects of the global climate system are still not fully understood. Key uncertainties involve clouds, sea-level rise, the carbon cycle and the impact of aerosols. As it matures, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) will represent a quantum leap in the speed, resolution, accuracy and sophistication of weather and climate modeling and forecasting. GEOSS aims to achieve global coordinated multi-sensor observation of the Earth, therefore making use of all available capacities, significant at global/continental scale, which can contribute on the long-term. In this framework, the need for top-level research centers in atmospheric remote sensing becomes a critical issue for EU and in the same time an important opportunity for research groups like ours.

Coming back to our short history as a group, we acknowledge the impact of several important projects which provided us the necessary funds, but also of the involvement of people from EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network), AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) and other expert groups in Europe who helped us, motivated us and urged us to become better, more present on scientific level, and more responsible. Step by step, year by year, we improved our infrastructure and expertise.

One important milestone in our success story was the EArlinet Reference LIdars campaign in 2009 (EARLI09).

The aim of EARLI09 campaign was to compare reference and non-reference mobile lidar systems in EARLINET in various atmospheric conditions and also to validate all channels showing acceptable deviations. The campaign was organized in Leipzig, Germany, at the Institute for Tropospheric Physics, 4 - 29 May 2009.  During 24 days of measurements, 16 lidar systems belonging to 12 groups from all over the Europe were operating on a specific schedule,  4 of the systems being accounted as EARLINET reference systems, 6 as EARLINET non-reference systems (including our multiwavelength lidar RALI) and 4 from outside the network (commercial systems). The measurements were take place in 3 hours sessions when the weather allowed, with a 1 minute time resolution.

We've learn a lot during EARLI09. We've learn to work as a team together with other European groups, we've learn to optimize the instrument, we've learn to recognize and accept our errors in order to improve the results. RALI was upgraded (increased field of view, reduction of saturated signals), and tested against other lidar systems, but also the team who operate it had to demonstrate its capacity to set up computing programs, to deal with large amount of data, and process them rapidly. Our lidar system did not encounter any technical problems during the campaign, proving a good stability and accuracy. Although it was one of the most complex system (12 channels) used in this campaign, RALI reached to an operating status in only 3 hours, including alignments, and passed the test for a threshold of 10% deviation from the reference signal, for all channels.

Team members proved their ability as scientists and also leaders in this part of Europe. The result was the election of DELICE's coordinator as ICLAS (International Coordination-group on Laser Atmospheric Studies) member, in July 2010, and her nomination as Romanian expert to EG-CLIMET (European Ground-Based Observations of Essential Variables for Climate and Operational Meteorology) COST action, in Dec. 2010.

After EARLI09, our partners in Europe acknowledged our potential and soon we were invited to join a huge initiative: Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure Network (ACTRIS).

Being one of the most advanced centers for atmospheric research in Romania, and the only one involved in laser remote sensing at that moment, at the beginning of 2010 INOE's laser remote sensing group was asked to provide transnational access to infrastructure as full partner in FP7 I3 project ACTRIS (INFRA-2010-1-1.1.16 proj. no. 262254). This project aims at integrating European ground-based stations equipped with advanced atmospheric probing instrumentation for aerosols, clouds and short-lived gas-phase species. It is a multidisciplinary project, combining ground-based and remote sensing instruments and networks, experimental and theoretical research, modeling and observations.

What is our task in ACTRIS? As member of EARLINET, we are involved in networking (NA2 Remote sensing of vertical aerosol distribution) and joint research activities (JRA1:Lidar and sunphotometer – Improved instruments, integrated observations and combined algorithms). Additionally, based on our multi-purpose, complex laboratories involving remote sensing but also in situ instrumentation for atmospheric studies, we offer trans-national access to infrastructure. We are mainly inviting users from Eastern Europe, which are close as education and mentality with Romanians (sharing for a long period of time the same educational practices and organizational structures), but our center is now suitable to host researchers from any part of the world, with the advantage of low living expenses.

The story goes on: INOE is partner of the Initial Training for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Network

Discussions at several meetings of ACTRIS partners emphasized the need of setting up a common school for young researchers who are or will be part of ACTRIS. This school for PhD students and postdocs should focus on remote sensing techniques, but also take into consideration synergistic use of various methods and techniques, in line with ACTRIS objectives. As consequence, the proposal which was build up on the basis of collaborative work inside EARLINET and submitted under FP7-PEOPLE-2010-ITN call, was extended as to cover not only aerosols, but also clouds, weather and climate, not only lidars but also radar and microwave radiometry. This new proposal, entitled ITARS (Initial Training for Atmospheric Remote Sensing) was submitted to FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN call, was accepted and is under the negotiation at EC at the moment (proposal no. 289923). INOE has a leading position, as the coordinator of the planning and recruitment sub-board, but is also involved in the organization of several network training events, theoretical and hands-on training activities, elaboration of tutorials and dissemination and outreach.