The Latin America Lidar Network (LALINET), was created during the first Workshop on LiDAR Measurement in Latin America (WLMLA) in 2001, to better understand aerosol distribution over South America and its impact on weather and climate.
This year is organized the 12th edition of the Workshop on Lidar Measurements in Latin America (XII WLMLA) hosted by IPEN (Instituto de pesquisas energéticas e nucleares) in São Paulo, Brazil, from 7th to 12th April 2024.
The goal of this event was to share knowledge between LiDAR researchers and students, promoting cooperation between scientific members of the LiDAR community, and fostering future LiDAR research projects to strengthen the Latin-American Lidar Network (LALINET).
Two representatives from CIMEL, Dr.Ioana Popoviciand Dr. Igor Veselovskii, had the opportunity to present our LiDAR technology and share some data collected on smoke and dust events using our CE376 LiDAR and the CE710 LILAS depolarization and fluorescence channels.
It was also the opportunity to introduce our new LiDAR CE710 developed within AGORA-Lab.
Special thanks to LALINET and IPEN for the organization of this conference.
French President Emmanuel Macron Leads CIMEL and Various French Companies in Brazil for Economic Diplomacy and Green Transition Innovation
Keywords: Aerosols, monitoring, remote sensing, green transition, innovation.
March 25-28th 2024
Once again CIMEL had the honor to be part of the French delegation accompanying the French president Emmanuel MACRON this time in Brazil in São Paulo from 25th to 28th March 2024.
Organized by MEDEF International and Business France, this delegation of over 80 French companies was embarking on a journey to Brazil, aimed at fostering stronger economic ties between the two countries.
Through a comprehensive agenda created around multiple business possibilities, heavy discussions have been conducted between French companies and other stakeholders. CIMEL, in particular, has actively participated in meetings with significant entities such as the Brazilian Space Agency (INPE), the University of São Paulo, the Institute of Advanced Studies (IPEN), as well as ministers and responsible for finance, cities, energy, and environment.
Encounter with the Remote Sensing experts from the University of São Paulo.
It was particularly interesting for CIMEL to meet these scientific entities in sectors such as space research, advanced technology, and energy, as these areas align closely with CIMEL’s expertise and potential for collaboration and innovation.
CE318 site – University of São PauloCIMEL visiting the University of São Paulo
The most popular event of the visit is the Franco-Brazil Business Forum addressing energy transition, which involves President Macron and Geraldo Alckmin – the Vice-President of Brazil. The Forum discussed the initiatives of how the investments will change color into “green” for both governments and revealed plans for sustainable development.
CIMEL meeting the French President during the Business Forum.
The presence of Laurent Saint-Martin, Director General of Business France, brought a decisive vision of the strengths of France with its delegation.
As CIMEL continues to forge ahead in its quest for international expansion, this business trip served as a demonstration of its commitment to innovation, collaboration, and global leadership in the sector of atmospheric and environmental monitoring.
🇫🇷 🇸🇦 | Exciting times for 120 French companies as Business France, led by Franck Riester and in collaboration with the Secretariat General for Investment and the Movement of French International Enterprises, ventures into Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is undergoing a significant metamorphosis, offering unparalleled opportunities for French companies of all sizes across various sectors. CIMEL is actively contributing to this innovative transformation.
NEOM City, a groundbreaking project, stands as a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s ambition for the future. This futuristic city, focusing on innovation and sustainability, presents immense possibilities for collaboration and investment. CIMEL, recognizing its potential, is actively engaged in discussions and presentations to showcase its expertise in contributing to NEOM’s environmental purposes.
Furthermore, last week marked the beginning of the 1st International Conference on Sand and Dust Storms, hosted by the National Center for Meteorology in #KSA, with CIMEL’s involvement. Follow the three days of lectures at https://youtu.be/rVHzYSVog_U, where CIMEL played a key role in sharing insights and ongoing activities related to #SDS within WMO and the United Nations.
An inspiring week, where CIMEL’s dual commitment to economic transformation and environmental responsibility takes center stage.
Dr. Stéphane VICTORI speech during the First International Conference on Sand and Dust Storms
CIMEL was able to explain how our cutting-edge technology enhances aerosols remote sensing capabilities. The synergy between our aerosol photometers and LiDARs, integrated into the iAAMS software, allows for comprehensive data analysis and visualization of aerosols (characterization, location, concentration…). The incorporation of the GRASP algorithm refines aerosol characterization and better concentration profiles, proving invaluable in monitoring sand and dust storms. This technological advancement highlights a collective commitment to economic transformation and environmental responsibility, positioning CIMEL as a key player in a sustainable future.
At the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf, the French PresidentEmmanuel MACRON, went on a diplomatic state visit in Sweden (Stockholm, Lund and Malmö), organized in collaboration with Business France andBusiness Sweden from January 29th to 31st 2024.
He was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Macron, ministers of the French government such as Minister of Research Sylvie RETAILLEAU, along representatives of the French Parliament, public authorities, and cultural organizations.
CIMEL is proud to have been part of the French delegation of 12 companies that joined this mission to strengthen relations between France and the Swedish market.
This mission aims to enhance more collaboration on innovation concerning the space industry and ecological transition, where Cimel is fully involved.
CIMEL could demonstrate how our solutions help address challenges related to satellite data validation, air quality and climate change by providing valuable insights and new data. Our objectives are to develop aerosols monitoring networks across Europe, especially through ACTRIS and to bring a strong added value to the air quality application.
A Business Forum organized by Business Sweden took place in Stockholm under the high patronage of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Around 200 Swedish and French business representatives were present for the occasion, with the heads of state and ministers from Sweden and France. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel graced the delegation with their presence.
Cimel through our Sales and Marketing Director, Idris SANHAJ was able to talk to the French President Emmanuel MACRON about an innovative project that is set to be implemented soon. This will highlight the national strategic technological innovation combined with the recent scientific progress.
By combining climate modeling, through in-situ sensors, our ground remote sensing and satellite data, we allow more accurate air quality forecasting and so decision-making for public health and environmental management.
To summarize, our participation in this mission in Sweden has been immensely fruitful.
We had the privilege of engaging with numerous partners, fostering meaningful connections, and presenting our innovative solutions.
We are grateful for the visibility provided by this mission, which has undoubtedly contributed to expanding our presence in the global market and advancing our mission to address critical environmental challenges through cutting-edge and made-in-France solutions.
On the night of Wednesday, August 22, 2018, the CIMEL’s micro-LiDAR flew for the first time in a stratospheric balloon for the validation of the project, from Timmins Air Force Base, in Ontario (Canada).
Stratéole-2 is a program of observation of the dynamics of the atmosphere in the intertropical zone developed in partnership between CNRS and CNES. TheLATMOS (Atmosphere, environment and space observations laboratory) through its joint laboratory with CIMEL: CIEL), the LMD (Dynamic Meteorology Laboratory), and the CSA (Canadian Spatial Agency) are also collaborating on this project.
This Stratéole-2 project called BECOOL (BalloonbornECirrus and convective overshOOt Lidar) mainly consists in placing CIMEL’s micro-LiDARs in stratospheric hot-air balloons and flying them around the world. The onboard aerosols micro-LiDARs emit lasers downwards, contrary to the initial use (the shots are normally done from the ground towards the atmosphere).
The project Stratéole-2 represents several challenges as CIMEL had to develop, in collaboration with the LATMOS a micro-LiDAR prototype that must correspond to the following standards:
Weighting less than 7 kg
Consuming less than 10 W
Resisting harsh temperature conditions
Indeed, CIMEL’s LiDARs are well known for their robustness and energetic Self-reliance which allows low maintenance: practical when the LiDARs are up to 20km in the stratosphere!
Figure 1: Preparation of a stratospheric balloon before the takeoff
The program uses stratospheric pressurized balloons filled with helium 11 to 13 meters in diameter. During 3 to 4 months, they are carried by the winds all around the tropical belt and are propelled up to 20 kilometers in the atmosphere. Some can travel across 80,000 kilometers around the world (Figure 2).
The project includes a total of three measurement campaigns realized between 2018 and 2025. Contrary to the previous one which served as a validation (and in which 2 micro-LiDARs were released), the second campaign was for scientific purposes. It started in mid-October 2021 and ended in April 2022, 3 micro-LiDAR balloons were released into the atmosphere from the Seychelles (Mahé). They collected valuable information which will then be analyzed for the study of atmospheric phenomena and their role in the climate. The third campaign is planned for 2025, with a further 4 micro-LiDAR balloons that will be released.
The objectives are to try to clarify some of the grey areas that hinder our detailed understanding of the atmosphere and its role in the Earth’s climate. BECOOL allows scientists to study atmospheric dynamics and composition such as convection or the dynamic coupling between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Exchanges and air movements between these two atmospheric layers are important and influence the whole planet.
However, the tropical region is difficult to access. Consequently, the classical methods of observation (by satellites, by plane, …) are not enough. This is why using balloons is strategic: they are the only ones able to observe these phenomena in real time and very closely to the atmosphere.
“It is a completely original mode of sampling, which is not obtained otherwise and allows results of unequaled finesse” (A. Hertzog).
Below is a quicklook from a Stratéole-2 micro-LiDAR taken from a balloon.
Figure 3: Quicklook LATMOS-Stratéole 2018
Bibliography:
E. J. Jensen et al, Bull. AMS, 129-143 (2017), M. McGill et al., Appl. Opt., (41) 3725-3734 (2002), J. S. Haase et al., Geophys. Res.L., 39, (2012), P. Zhu et al., Geos. Inst. Meth. and Data Systems, 89-98, (2015) J.-E. Kim et al, Geophys. Res. L. (43), 5895-5901 (2016), S. Davis et al., J.Geophys Res, 115 (2010) S. Solomon et al., Science (327), 1219-1223 (2010) V. Mariage et al., Optics Express 25 (4), A73-A84 (2017) ,G. Di Donfrancesco et al., Appl. Opt. (45) 5701-5708 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202023707003
François Ravetta, Vincent Mariage, Emmanuel Brousse, Eric d’Almeida, Frédéric Ferreira, et al. BeCOOL: A Balloon-Borne Microlidar System Designed for Cirrus and Convective Overshoot Monitoring. EPJ Web of Conferences, EDP Sciences, 2020, The 29th International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC 29), 237, 07003 (2p.). ff10.1051/epjconf/202023707003ff. ffinsu-02896973f
CIMELin the French delegation of the French President on his mission in China.
CIMEL is proud to have accompanied the French President Emmanuel Macron on his mission in China, organized in collaboration with Business France and the French Embassy from April 3rd to 7th 2023.
This was an important geopolitical event, as we were part of the first French delegation to come back in China after the reopening of the borders and the lifting of sanitary restrictions linked to COVID-19.
It was also an opportunity for companies such as ours (with special regards to Chromatotec, ENVEA Group, Greentech Innovation) to shine through lobbying and gathering decision makers on climate change and environmental issues.
Our Sales and Marketing Director, Idris SANHAJ and our International Business Developer Laura MARIT have represented CIMEL through business meetings with our Chinese partners (CMA Chinese Meteorological Agency, CAS Chinese Academy of Sciences, Environmental Monitoring Centers of Shanghai Municipality and Jiangsu Province, Guangzhou University…) and to exchange ideas with various members of the French delegation organized by Business France.
They had the opportunity to encounter the French President Emmanuel Macron and had a brief meeting with the Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Lemaire to discuss the future of air quality application with our innovative solutions, in particular for the JO2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
During this mission, CIMEL has presented its remote sensing solutions for aerosols monitoring, used to increase the understanding of atmospheric phenomenas, improve and validate air quality models.
This combination of climate modeling, through in-situ sensors, satellite data, and ground remote sensing, allows for more accurate air quality forecasting and decision-making for public health and environmental management.
We look forward to continuing to serve our customers in China and across the globe with the same level of excellence and dedication that has become synonymous with our brand Made in France.
🙏 We extend our gratitude to Business France (Laurent Saint-Martin, Xavier CHATTE-RUOLS, Baptiste DELBENDE, Nicolas SESTIER), teamfranceexport (Valérie Alvarado-Zongo, Yang Yang, Michelle Portugal, Lian Qu), and CCI FRANCE CHINE (Caroline Penard, Christophe Lauras) for coordinating this successful business trip.
The Cyprus Institute is non-profit research and educational institution with a strong scientific and technological orientation.
The Institute is divided into four research centers:
Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC)
Science and Technology in Archeology and Culture Research Center (STARC)
Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (caSToRC)
Climate & Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C)
The Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) was founded at the Cyprus Institute in January 2020. It is a regional European Center of Excellence for Climate and Atmosphere Research, based in Cyprus, for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region. The aim of the center is to lead some researches about urgent climate change and air pollution challenges such as greenhouse gases, the water cycle, extreme weather, atmospheric dust and their impacts.
Therefore, the center owns a remote sensing group composed by a network of ground-based instruments located at three Cyprus Atmosphere Observatory (CAO) stations: Nicosia, Agia Marina Xyliatou and Troodos. Among these instruments, three CE318-T – Sun Sky Lunar Multispectral Photometersand a CE376 – Compact LiDAR.
CIMEL AAMS – Automatic Aerosol Monitoring Solutionallows the study of the transportation of pollution, dust, smoke and all the aerosols related to atmospheric composition. For instance, optical characterization of dust and smoke particles are made thanks to the 2 wavelengths CE376 – Compact LiDAR. In addition,the instrument has depolarization capability, which is a relevant information for aerosols typing.
By using state-of-the-art solutions and collaborating with the Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique (LOA – University of Lille/CNRS), the CAO provides high quality, long-term observations of key atmospheric pollutants relevant to air quality and climate change, and thus, brings value to the Cyprus Institute in different sectors such as Research, Innovation and Education. This collaboration is developing for many years in the frame of aerosol monitoring (AERONET), radiative flux monitoring and more recently with automatic Lidar/photometer synergy, in the frame of ACTRIS. Moreover, the cooperation between LOA and CAO, in the frame of AQABA campaign, allowed the first operation of the prototype shipborne version of CE318T.
Figure 1 : CE318-T – Sun Sky Lunar Multispectral photometer at Nicosia station.
Figure 2 : CE376 – Micro LiDAR at Nicosia station.
Figure 3 : Quicklook of the volume depolarization ratio during a dust event in Cyprus.
SOlar Radiation Based Established Techniques for aTmospheric Observations (SORBETTO) Winter school took place from February 6th to 10th atESA-ESRIN(European Space Research Institute), in Frascati, Italy and was organized in collaboration with Sapienza University(Roma) and CNR-ISAC (National Research Council – Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate).
SORBETTO is an important training event for young researchers collaborating within the international aerosol’s scientific community (gas and aerosol observations for climatological, meteorological, local and global air pollution studies, remote sensing and in-situ measurements, calibration of satellite measurements…).
Ground-based instruments deployed in Networks such as AERONET are key players to perform high quality observations that contribute to the Validation and Calibration (CAL/VAL) of satellite missions. Instruments such as Sun Sky Lunar Photometers or LiDARs allow to check that information derived from satellite sensors is comparable to ground measurements and thus, to validate their accuracy.
CIMEL Team operating an instrumental demonstration of CE318-T Sun Sky Lunar Photometer at University of Sapienza, 9th 2023.
The instrument show held on Thursday 9th at Sapienza University was the opportunity for students to attend a presentation of various solutions such as CIMEL CE318-T Sun Sky Lunar Photometer, exclusive instrument of NASA Aerosol Network AERONET.
It was a pleasure for CIMEL to attend the event with our great and exclusive Italian Business Partner XEarPro Srl. With 20 years of experience in the field of environmental monitoring, XEarpro Srl contributes in the development of applications and solutions to safeguard the environment around us. We collaborate closely to meet the needs of the Italian scientific community in term of aerosols remote sensing instruments.
The Laboratoire d’optique atmosphérique (LOA) is a joint research unit of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) of France and the University of Lille – Sciences and Technologies. The LOA studies the different components of the atmosphere, mainly clouds, aerosols and gas. In collaboration with the LOA, CIMEL created a joint research laboratory : AGORA-LAB.
Since 2005, the LOA has started the systematic observation of aerosols by LiDAR and has developed a database and an automated real-time data processing system. Its collaboration with CIMEL allowed the creation of the multi-wavelength LILAS LiDAR which was integrated into the European network EARLINET/ACTRIS in 2015.
The LILAS LiDAR was specifically designed and adjusted by CIMEL to meet a specific need of the LOA. The transportable multi-wavelength Raman research LiDAR LILAS offers a significant qualitative and quantitative value on aerosol parameters measured at night and during the day, in particular through its combination with CIMEL sun/sky/lunar photometers.
LILAS also allows the observation of clouds and the obtention water vapor and methane profiles. It also gives access to essential climate variables such as the absorption profile of atmospheric aerosols. Its maximum range can reach 20 km and allows it to study the lower stratosphere which can be useful in case of major volcanic eruption for example.
For the Data treatment, the AUSTRAL (AUtomated Server for the TReatment of Atmospheric Lidars) web server data is the processing tool, which provides real-time quicklooks of the LiDAR Range Corrected Signals (RCS) and Volume Depolarization Ratio (VDR) as well as Klett inversion results (extinction and backscatter coefficient profiles).
To answer the need of various stakeholders, the CE710 LiDAR is a fully customizable high power multi-channel aerosols LiDAR resulting from the collaboration between the LOA, CIMEL and Dr. Igor Veselovskii institute. Depending on the requirements and budgets of each, it exists multiple options to customize the LiDAR. For exemple, the choice of the laser type and the wavelengths, the depolarization options or the Raman options (and many more).
Thanks to its precision in the detection of aerosols, the LILAS CE710 LiDAR has highlighted many atmospheric natural events such as volcanic eruptions (ash) or dust and sand events for example but also biomass burning particles coming from fires. LILAS data and all the LiDAR’s activities between the LOA and CIMEL bring a precious monitoring tool to understand atmospheric phenomenas over France, Europe and worldwide.
Figure 1 : View of LILAS (telescope, laser, and acquisition bay) in vertical view, open roof hatch and example of observed aerosol profiles. LILAS is a transportable multi-wavelength Elastic & Raman LiDAR. It has 3 elastic channels (355, 532 and 1064 nm), 3 Raman channels (387, 407 and 530 nm) and 3 depolarized channels (355, 532 and 1064 nm).
Figure 2: Night time LILAS operation during SHADOW-2 campaign in Senegal (Credits: Q. Hu, LOA)
Figure 3 : Detection of smoke particles injected up to 17 km into the stratosphere by intense pyro-convection generated by the Canadian wildfires of summer 2017 (Hu et al., 2018).
Figure 4: Illustration of the extreme event in October 2017. LiDAR LILAS time series from 16/10/17-16:00 to 17/10/17-06:00 UTC at the Lille site (LOA). (a) The reddest regions indicate a high concentration of particles while the blue regions indicate a very low concentration of particles. (b) Aerosol depolarization which informs us about the shape of the particles and thus their nature, desert or fire particles. Graphic credits Q. Hu, LOA
Figure 5: LiDAR LILAS LOA
Communications and posters
Podvin T., P. Goloub, D. Tanré, I. Veselovskii, V. Bovchaliuk, M. Korensky, A. Mortier, S. Victori, .LILAS, un LIDAR multispectral et Raman pour l’étude des aérosols, de la vapeur d’eau et des nuages, Atelier Experimentation et Instrumentation 2014 (oral presentation)
Podvin T, Q. Hu, P. Goloub, O. Dubovik, I. Veselovskii, V. Bovchaliuk, A. Lopatin, B. Torres, D. Tanré, C. Deroo, T. Lapyonok, F. Ducos, A. Diallo. , LILAS, le Lidar multi spectral Raman polarisé et quelques résultats d’inversions, Atelier Experimentation et Instrumentation 2017 (poster presentation).
Hu et al., Aerosol absorption measurements and retrievals in SHADOW2 campaign, ICAC 2017, International Conference on Aerosol Cycle, 21 – 23 Mar, Lille
Hu et al., A test of new approaches to retrieve aerosol properties from Photometer-LiDAR joint measurements, ESA/IDEAS Workshop 2017, Lille, 06-07 Apr 2017
Hu et al., Retrieval of aerosol properties with Sun/Sky-photometer and LiDAR measurements, ACTRIS-FR, Workshop, Autrans Méaudre en Vercors, 3-5 mai 2017
Hu et al., Retrieval of aerosol properties with Sun/Sky-photometer and LiDAR measurements, 28th ILRC, international LiDAR and Radar conference, Bucharest, 25 – 30 June
Hu et al., Lidar measurements with 3-depolarization in Lille, 3rd ACTRIS-2 WP2 Workshop, Delft, 13-17 Nov 2017.
Podvin. T, Q. Hu, P. Goloub, I. Veselovskii, C. Deroo, G. Dubois, T. Trivellato, I. Popovici, B. Torres. Aerosol Remote Sensing at Lille observation platform: upgrade of profiling capabilities. ACTRIS-2 / WP2 Aerosol Profiling – Hatfield – 19-23 November 2018, United Kingdom (présentation poster) http://www-loa.univ-lille1.fr/documents/LOA/posters/20181115_poster_LILAS_WP2_2018.pdf
Qiaoyun Hu, Juan-Antonio Bravo Aranda, Ioana Popovici, Philippe Goloub, Thierry Podvin, Igor Veselovskii, Martial Haeffelin, Christophe Pietras, Transported smoke layers detected over northern France, EGU, 2018 (présentation poster) http://www-loa.univ-lille1.fr/documents/LOA/posters/2018_EGU_Hu.pdf
Météo-France is a public administrative institution, the official meteorological and climatological service in France. As such, it exercises the State’s responsibilities in terms of meteorological safety. The institution is also in charge of managing and modernizing an observation network of the atmosphere, the surface ocean and the snow cover in France and overseas.
The institution is also present on an international level as it contributes to the programs and activities of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which sets standards that meet the shared needs of its Member States.
Météo-France’s research department, the Centre national de recherches météorologiques (CNRM), is a joint research unit with the CNRS. Météo-France is also a joint supervisor of the Laboratoire de l’Atmosphère et des CYclones (LaCy), the Service des Avions Français Instrumentés pour la Recherche et l’Environnement (SAFIRE), and the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP).
Météo-France core missions are linked to the needs related to the protection of people and property: weather forecasting, knowledge of the climate and its evolution, physics and dynamics of the atmosphere and interactions between men, the climate and the atmosphere…
The knowledge of weather conditions is of huge importance for the aviation industry for example. Landing, taking off and even flying safely depends on weather conditions. The perfect example of this huge importance is the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull which occurred in April 2010. The Icelandic volcano released a thick ash of smoke which disrupted European air traffic, causing five days of complete interruption of traffic: the largest closure of airspace decreed in Europe, not without financial consequences as it led to considerable losses.
Indeed, volcanic ash which tends to settle in the atmosphere is dangerous as it can be sucked into the plane’s engines, then, melt, and finally clog the jet engines. It can cause air plane accidents.
Hence the importance of using state-of-the-art remote sensing measuring instruments to determine for instance the localization, the characterization and the concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere. For this purpose, Météo-France works in collaboration with the LOA (Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique) to manage and maintain a network of efficient solutions and link several instruments such as LiDARs and CIMEL photometers (ready-to-use by AERONET) for more accurate data and considerably reduced uncertainties.
To this end, CIMEL works in close collaboration with Météo-France and ensures to provide quality and constantly improved instruments to meet the urgent needs in terms of security.
Actually, CIMEL also provides instrument synergies between Photometers and LiDARs through a unique monitoring software iAAMS, dedicated to the aerosols study and analysis. The obtained parameters are the characterization of aerosol types, the extinction and backscatter profile of mass concentration. Cimel’s AAMS is able to automatically locate, identify and quantify aerosols, layer by layer, day and night.
