REINFORCE


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 REINFORCE

Atmospheric aerosols exert a net cooling impact on climate that offsets part of the warming effect from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the reduction in aerosol emissions due to air pollution control measures in the coming decades is expected to result in a warming effect that will boost the warming induced by GHGs. 

 

 

Multi-model mean surface air temperature response induced by aerosol changes (Foster et al., 2021)

 

Aerosols show a larger geographical variation in their radiative forcing compared to CO2 due to their short lifetime of the order of a few days, resulting in inhomogeneous forcing on regional climate, contrary to the relatively homogeneous spatial influence of CO2 and other WMGHGs (well-mixed greenhouse gases) on climate (Shindell et al., 2015). However, the effects of aerosol changes on regional and local climate are sensitive to several model uncertainties concerning parameterizations of processes, such as wet and dry removal, aerosol-cloud interactions, and particulate chemistry, in addition to those of aerosol-radiation and aerosol-photolysis interactions. Such uncertainties are likely to be confounded even further by the variability among models in the underlying regional climate and circulation patterns, leading to greater intermodel spread at regional scales than at a global scale (Zanis et al., 2020). Furthermore, estimates of radiative forcing from aerosols are very sensitive to poorly constrained emission estimates for preindustrial time, especially from wildfires and bioaerosols (IPCC, 2021). Consequently, it is crucial to accurately quantify the extent to which aerosols currently offset greenhouse gas warming due to anthropogenic/natural emissions (Schwartz, 2018). 

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

To tackle the above challenges, we need to increase the reliability of aerosol parameterizations and the accuracy of estimates of the aerosol effects on climate. In the framework of REINFORCE, leading climate scientists from five Greek academic and research organizations will join forces to efficiently parameterize the most critical processes driving the aerosol atmospheric cycles and their impact on climate in a state-of-the-art European ESM. 

The consortium of the REINFORCE project consists of five partners, i.e., the Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), the Technical University of Crete (TUC), the University of Crete, and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and it is led by the National Observatory of Athens (NOA).

REINFORCE will pursue the following main objectives: 

  • Make targeted improvements to atmospheric aerosol's primary and secondary sources’ parameterizations and evaluate the model's ability to simulate them. 
  • Apply targeted improvements to the corresponding simulation of aerosol/climate interactions to obtain more reliable climate predictions.
  • Thoroughly investigate the climate impacts of aerosols on global and regional scales.




REINFORCE is structured around seven work packages (WPs), between which exist key synergies 

 

 






THE MODELLING TOOL:

The well-documented European ESM EC-Earth 3, which contributes to the Aerosols and Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP), will be extended with state-of-the-art organic aerosol schemes to account for their secondary formation based on sophisticated parameterizations, their emissions from wildfires, and biological processes (bioaerosols). 

The atmospheric General Circulation Model (GCM) of EC-Earth is based on cycle 36r4 of the Integrated Forecast System (IFS) from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which includes the land surface model H-TESSEL, and the ocean model is NEMO 3.6, which includes the Louvain-la-Neuve sea ice model (LIM) for sea ice processes. Data exchange and interpolation between modules are handled through the Ocean Atmosphere Sea Ice Soil version 3 (OASIS3) coupler. The Tracer Model version 5 release 3.0 (TM5-MP 3.0) represents the atmospheric chemistry and transport of aerosols and reactive species in EC-Earth, and for this project, the EC-Earth3-AerChem model branch (van Noije et al., 2021) will be used.





Press Release for the Final Dissemination Event of the H.F.R.I. Project REINFORCE

 

Conferences and meetings

  1. EC-Earth 2024 General Assembly, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), De Bilt, the Netherlands, March 19–21, 2024 (https://ec-earth.org/consortium/meetings/de-bilt-march-2024/).

  2. Myriokefalitakis S., Kakavas, S, Chatziparaschos, M., Karydis, V., Tsimpidi, A., Pandis S. N.: Improvements in the composition and atmospheric evolution of organic aerosols within the TM5-MP model, 35th International TM5 Meeting, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, 21-22 October 2024 (https://tm5.site.pro/35th-International-TM5-meeting-21-22-October-2024; oral).

  3. Myriokefalitakis, S., Improvements in the simulation of aerosol-climate linkages in EC-Earth (REINFORCE H.F.R.I. 15155), Hellenic National Meteorological Service, 30 October 2024 (oral).

  4. Kalisoras, A., Georgoulias. A. K., Akritidis, D., Allen, R. J., Naik, V., Zanis, P., Anthropogenic aerosol-induced changes in regional precipitation and the atmospheric energy budget with the use of CMIP6 Earth system models, CACTI workshop, Scripps Institution for Oceanography, UC San Diego, USA (held in hybrid form), 17-19 September 2024 (oral).

  5. Kalisoras A., Georgoulias A. K., Akritidis D., Allen R. J., Naik V., Zanis P., Changes in regional precipitation and the atmospheric energy budget due to anthropogenic aerosols – a multi-model study, Workshop on Air Quality in Eastern Mediterranean, Central Library Auditorium, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 3-4 October 2024 (oral).

  6. Myriokefalitakis, S., Kakavas, S., Karydis, V., Tsimpidi, A., Karathanasopoulos, O., Nieradzik, L., Kanakidou, M., and Pandis S. N.: An Improved Representation of Organic Aerosol Composition and Atmospheric Evolution in the EC-Earth3-AerChem model, EGU25-11354, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-11354 (EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 April–2 May 2025) (poster).

  7. Chatziparaschos, M., Myriokefalitakis, S., Kalivitis, N., Daskalakis, N., Nenes, A., Gonçalves-Ageitos, M., Costa-Surós, M., Pérez García-Pando,C., Vrekoussis, M., and Kanakidou, M.: Do bioaerosols or mineral dust dominate the global population of ice-nucleating particles?, EGU25-1392 (EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 April–2 May 2025) (poster).

  8. Chatziparaschos, M., Myriokefalitakis, S., Kalivitis, N., Daskalakis, N., Nenes, A., Gonçalves Ageitos, M., Costa-Surós, M., Pérez García-Pando, C., Vrekoussis, M., and Kanakidou, M.: Assessing the global contribution of marine, terrestrial bioaerosols, and desert dust to ice-nucleating particle concentrations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9085–9111, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9085-2025, 2025 (poster).

  9. Paraskevopoulou K. , Vamvakaki C. , Myriokefalitakis S. , Mourgela R-N., Petrakis M. P. , Seiradakis K., and Voulgarakis A.: Impacts of Wildfires on the Global Atmosphere: Multi-Year Simulations Using a Range of Emissions Datasets, Leverhulme Wildfires Spring Symposium 2025, University of Reading, Reading, UK (27 – 28 May 2025).

  10. Paraskevopoulou K. , Vamvakaki C. , Myriokefalitakis S. , Mourgela R-N., Petrakis M. P. , Seiradakis K., and Voulgarakis A.: Impacts of Wildfires on the Global Atmosphere: Multi-Year Simulations Using a Range of Emissions Datasets, International Conference on Meteorology, Climatology, and Atmospheric Physics  –  COMECAP2025 – Nicosia, Cyprus (29 September – 01 October 2025).

  11. Paraskevopoulou K. , Vamvakaki C. , Myriokefalitakis S. , Mourgela R-N., Petrakis M. P. , Seiradakis K., and Voulgarakis A.: Investigating the present-day impact of wildfires on the global atmosphere using TM5-MP, 36th International TM5 meeting, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 – 4 November 2025).

  12. Kalisoras A., Zanis P., Georgoulias A. K., Akritidis D., Allen R. J., Naik V., Temperature changes due to anthropogenic aerosols over the Mediterranean based on CMIP6 Earth system models, 4th Annual Online Scientific Workshop: Climate and Atmosphere Research and Innovation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute, 26 November 2025 (Program: https://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/wp-content/uploads/EMME-Climate-Scientific-workshop_26November-programme.pdf).

Peer-review papers

  1. Manavi, S. E. I., Aktypis, A., Siouti, E., Skyllakou, K., Myriokefalitakis, S., Kanakidou, M., and Pandis, S. N.: Atmospheric aerosol spatial variability: Impacts on air quality and climate change, One Earth, 8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101237, 2025.

  2. Kalisoras, A., Georgoulias, A. K., Akritidis, D., Allen, R. J., Naik, V., Kuo, C., Szopa, S., Nabat, P., Olivié, D., van Noije, T., Le Sager, P., Neubauer, D., Oshima, N., Mulcahy, J., Horowitz, L. W., and Zanis, P.: Decomposing the Effective Radiative Forcing of anthropogenic aerosols based on CMIP6 Earth System Models, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 24, 7837–7872, 2024. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7837-2024.

  3. Chatziparaschos, M., Myriokefalitakis, S., Kalivitis, N., Daskalakis, N., Nenes, A., Gonçalves Ageitos, M., Costa-Surós, M., Pérez García-Pando, C., Vrekoussis, M., and Kanakidou, M.: Assessing the global contribution of marine, terrestrial bioaerosols, and desert dust to ice-nucleating particle concentrations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9085–9111, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9085-2025, 2025.

  4. Costa-Surós, M., Gonçalves Ageitos, M., Chatziparaschos, M., Georgakaki, P., Thomas, M. A., Montané Pinto, G., Myriokefalitakis, S., van Noije, T., Le Sager, P., Kanakidou, M., Nenes, A., and Pérez García-Pando, C.: Implementation of Primary and Secondary Ice Production in EC-Earth3-AerChem: Global Impacts and Insights, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4659, 2025.

  5. Paraskevopoulou, K., Vamvakaki, C., Myriokefalitakis, S., Mourgela, R.-N., Petrakis, M. P., Seiradakis, K., and Voulgarakis, A.: Impacts of Wildfires on the Global Atmosphere: Multi-Year Simulations Using a Range of Emissions Datasets, Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings, 35, 25, https://doi.org/10.3390/eesp2025035025, 2025.

  6. Kalisoras, A., Zanis, P., Georgoulias, A. K., Akritidis, D., Allen, R. J., and Naik, V.: Temperature and radiative responses to anthropogenic aerosols over the Mediterranean Basin based on CMIP6 Earth system models, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4961, 2025.

  7. Kakavas, S., Myriokefalitakis, S., Tsimpidi, A. P., Karydis, V. A., and Pandis, S. N.: Implementation of the ORACLE (v1.0) organic aerosol composition and evolution module into the EC-Earth3-AerChem model, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-37, 2026.

  8. Jiang, H., Liu, M., Karathanasopoulos, O., Myriokefalitakis, S.: Reassessing Global Atmospheric Flux of Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus with Machine Learning, Journal of Geophysical Research - Machine Learning and Computation (under review)

 



CONTACT INFORMATION:

Dr. Stelios Myriokefalitakis

Senior Researcher

Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Group, Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development

National Observatory of Athens

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