Metrology for Earth Biosphere: Cosmic rays, ultraviolet radiation and fragility of ozone shield
Developing the first metrological framework to assess the impact of cosmic rays and human activity on the ozone layer.
The ozone layer shields us from solar UV, radiation which can cause serious health effects in humans, as well as some plants and animals.In the last 50 years, anthropogenic activities have altered atmospheric chemistry such that primary cosmic rays (PCRs) – high energy particles from the sun and other extra-terrestrial sources – are now increasing depletion of this protective layer. On contact with the atmosphere, PCRs also generate secondary cosmic rays (SCR) and both types are known to adversely affect biological systems. Understanding the link between cosmic rays, solar radiation, and ozone thickness is critical for making informed decisions regarding the effects of these on human health. However, to date, no side-by-side measurements of these factors have been performed due to a lack of measurement infrastructure.
To address this, the project will upgrade existing SCR and atmosphere detectors, developing new methods to determine the dependence of SCR flux to the ground on PCR and linking this to atmospheric parameters such as temperature, density, and aerosol concentration. The impact of PCRs and ground UV radiation on the ozone layer will be correlated and quantified, including their dependence on anthropogenic emissions. The effects on human health of combined SCR and UV radiation will be assessed by using human and plant cells via established radiation effect models and systems biology approaches. For the first time, key information on the effects of cosmic rays, UV and human activities on the ozone layer will be available, helping Europe to introduce better mitigation strategies in this important area.
The European Physical Journal D
Biomolecules
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Biology
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
URSI Radio Science Letters
Annales Geophysicae
Space Weather
The European Physical Journal D
Cancers
Applied Sciences
Space Weather
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Antioxidants
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Participating EURAMET NMIs and DIs
BFKH (Hungary)
CMI (Czechia)
GUM (Poland)
IFIN-HH (Romania)
IMBiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
IO-CSIC (Spain)
LNE-LNHB (France)
PTB (Germany)
UME (Türkiye)
Other Participants
ADVACAM, s.r.o. (Czechia)
Deutscher Wetterdienst (Germany)
Gigahertz Optik GmbH (Germany)
Institut royal d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique (Belgium)
Institut Royal Meteorologique De Belgique (Belgium)
Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Domeniul Patologiei și Științelor Biomedicale „Victor Babeș RA (Romania)
LZH Laserzentrum Hannover e.V. (Germany)
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (Germany)
National Technical University of Athens (Greece)
NOVA.id.FCT - Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT (Portugal)
Raymetrics S.A. Development of High Technology Systems (Greece)
Ústav jaderné fyziky AV ČR, v.v.i. (Czechia)
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