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Kicking Off My Dust-DN Journey: Reflections from the UAV Spring Campaign 2025

Blog post from Kenneth M. Tschorn

My first experiences as a Dust-DN Doctoral Candidate

I joined Dust-DN in April 2025. Before relocating to Cyprus, I worked as a research associate in a long-term air quality monitoring program in Western Norway. This transition has given me a firsthand experience of the stark contrast between one of Europe’s northernmost, colder regions and Cyprus, which has one of the warmest climates in the Mediterranean part of the EU. I was particularly drawn to Dust-DN for its strong networking opportunities—with fellow students, their supervisors, and leading experts in the field of atmospheric dust. I see this as a unique chance to expand my scientific network and gain valuable cultural experiences. My doctoral project (DC2) is embedded within Work Package 2 (WP2) of the DUST-DN, which focuses on the fundamental properties of dust. Specifically, DC2 aims to explore and validate new measurement techniques that can enhance our understanding of dust particle morphology and orientation.

This includes collecting dust particles during major outbreaks over Cyprus using devices called impactors. These are small tools with sticky surfaces that catch dust particles as they pass by, allowing scientists to examine individual particles in detail. For our work, we used specially modified Giant Particle Collectors (GPAC) mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called Skywalker. These GPACs included Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) grids, which are fine mesh structures that let us study the particles in three dimensions using an electron microscope.

One additional aspect of my project is to investigate whether dust particles in the atmosphere align in a certain direction – a phenomenon that has been reported in some studies. To test this hypothesis, we used a second Skywalker UAV equipped with two differently pointing Compact Optical Backscatter AerosoL Detectors (COBALD). One of these instruments was mounted vertically and the other horizontally. These instruments emit light in two different wavelengths, and a detector measures the amount of light being scattered back to the instruments. Mounting them at different angles helps us to look for signs of particle orientation/alignment. This unique, novel approach may shed new light on how atmospheric dust particles behave in the air and how they affect the Earth’s climate system.

Starting my PhD project right as the UAV Spring Campaign 2025 kicked off was both exciting and demanding. I had to rapidly become familiar with new instruments and techniques—such as the principles of the COBALD system and aerosol sampling—while actively participating in campaign operations. In this post, I share my first hands-on experiences and how they relate to the objectives of my doctoral project.

Campaign Objectives

The UAV Spring Campaign 2025 took place at the Cyprus Institute (CYI) from April 3rd to May 31st, a period selected due to favorable atmospheric conditions for dust transport from North Africa to Cyprus. Throughout this period, the remote sensing group produced daily observational and model-based dust forecasts to assess whether atmospheric conditions were suitable for UAV flights from CYI’s airfield at Orounda.

In collaboration with the Unmanned Systems Research Laboratory (USRL) of CYI, the team successfully conducted UAV operations on eight different days, catching various different dust events. The primary goal was to evaluate the performance of newly developed instruments designed to characterize the microphysical properties of dust particles during significant dust events. These novel tools added new capabilities to CYI’s well-established instrumentations that measure dust particle size, like the POPS and UCASS instruments (more on those below).

Each day began with a crucial question: Are we going to fly today?

UAV Platforms and Scientific Instrumentation

Quadrocopter / POPS

A quadrocopter platform was equipped with the Printed Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS), which measures aerosol particle sizes in the range of 0.115 to 3.37 µm (optical equivalent diameter). Accordingly, POPS is an instrument designed to detect rather small particles. On most flight days, the POPS was deployed first to obtain vertical profiles of dust concentration. These data helped identify optimal target altitudes for particle sampling by subsequent Skywalker flights.

Figure 1: POPS mounted on quadrocopter (note: drying inlet is not attached here)
Figure 2: POPS in detail (note: drying-inlet is not attached here)

Skywalker / UCASS and Impactors

The Skywalker fixed-wing UAV carried two key instruments for studying larger dust particles. Under each wing, we mounted the Universal Cloud and Aerosol Sounding System (UCASS), measuring particles ranging from 0.45 to 56.06 µm (optical equivalent diameter) using optical detection.

Figure 3: Skywalker UAV carrying both UCASS and an adjustable mount for the collection of giant dust particles.

Alongside the UCASS, we also attached two custom-built particle impactors, so called Giant Particle Collectors (GPAC). These were also placed beneath each wing and used for collecting dust particles at target altitudes. For this campaign, the GPACs were specially modified to include TEM grids allowing for advanced, three-dimensional morphological analysis in the lab.

Figure 4: UCASS (left) and adjustable mount for giant dust particle collection with our modified TEM-grid impactors (see arrow).
Figure 5: Example of a TEM-grid being used during this campaign.

COBALD

A third UAV carried two Compact Optical Backscatter Aerosol Detectors (COBALD), oriented differently to investigate the potential for detecting particle alignment. One COBALD instrument was mounted vertically and the other horizontally (see picture below). Each operates at two wavelengths: blue (λ = 455 nm) and near-infrared (λ = 940 nm). Due to the sensitivity of the sensors, meaningful data could only be collected during nighttime conditions to avoid oversaturation from sunlight.

Figure 6: COBALD backscatter sonde with horizontal and vertical field of view mounted on a third UAV.
Figure 7: COBALD backscatter sondes during ground calibration (high-dynamic-range picture). The beam of the blue wavelength can be identified, but the red channel remains unseen, as it is not within the visible light spectrum. Picture: Fotis Manelidis.
Figure 8: View from the control monitor during one of our UAV flights.
Figure 9: Lidar signal indicating very strong dust presence on 17th May 2025. The volume depolarization ratio (bottom plot) clearly indicates the arrival of non-spherical dust particles starting to descent gradually from around noon until it has reached the surface air level in the evening.

Relevance to my Doctoral Project DC2

This campaign was a perfect starting point for my doctoral project. The use of TEM grid-equipped GPACs matches with my research goal of investigating advanced dust particle morphology. Furthermore, the COBALD deployment supports the evaluation of dust particle orientation—a key hypothesis in DC2. These innovative measurement strategies may lead to valuable insights into dust microphysics and contribute to broader atmospheric science objectives.

Participating in this campaign was an invaluable experience that provided hands-on exposure to field operations, instrumentation, and scientific coordination. It also set a solid foundation for the research tasks ahead in my doctoral journey.

Planning is already underway for future campaigns. And when the time comes, I expect we’ll find ourselves once again asking that same familiar question:

Are we going to fly today?

The Cyprus Institute’s Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) to lead development of first doctoral network dedicated to atmospheric mineral dust in Europe

The Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute is proud to announce its coordination of the new Horizon Europe Project entitled ‘Doctoral Network on Atmospheric Dust’ (Dust-DN), which secured funding of 3.5 million under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks program. Awarded with full marks within a very competitive evaluation and selection, this initiative aims to train the next generation of scientists in the field of atmospheric dust.

Atmospheric dust is one of the most visible and detectable aspects of the transboundary transport of atmospheric constituents, affecting visibility, radiation, and climate. Despite its obvious presence in the atmosphere, the fundamental properties of atmospheric dust remain poorly understood, limiting our ability to develop accurate models and harness the societal benefits of better predictions. The Dust-DN project aims to bridge this knowledge gap by creating the first doctoral network dedicated to atmospheric mineral dust on a European scale, combining expertise and multidisciplinary approaches.

It is a strategic, international, and intersectoral alliance of high-profile partners that will drive innovation in understanding the fundamental properties of dust and in predicting its socio-economic impacts. By training a cohort of early-career scientists within a network of academic and non-academic partners, Dust-DN will address critical gaps in the field through the following research objectives:

  1. Advancing the understanding of the fundamentals of dust microphysical properties and processes.
  2. Identifying the influence of source regions on atmospheric dust properties.
  3. Assessing the socio-economic impacts of dust on health, aviation, and energy production.
  4. Investigating dust within the global climate system.

Project Partners and Participants

The Dust-DN project brings together 8 core partners and 15 associated partners, including 5 non-academic institutions, ensuring a broad range of expertise and facilities to address the complex challenges posed by atmospheric dust. The core participating institutes are The Cyprus Institute (CyI) – Project Coordinator, the University of Évora (UÉ) from Portugal, the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) from Greece, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) from Spain, the Technical University of Darmstadt (TUDa) from Germany, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) also from Germany, the University of Reading (UREAD) from United Kingdom, and the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos – World Radiation Center (PMOD-WRC) from Switzerland.

The associated partners include five universities: the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) andthe Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) both from Greece, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) from Spain, the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) from Switzerland and the Khalifa University from United Arab Emirates; five research institutions, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) from Germany, the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence from Cyprus, the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) from Germany, the Centro Académico Clínico do Alentejo (C-TRAIL) from Portugal,the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas – Plataforma Solar de Almería (CIEMAT-PSA) from Spain, one agency of the United Nations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a national meteorological service the Met Office (MetO) from the United Kingdom, and three private companies, the Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (RR) a British multinational aerospace and defence company, the Earnst and Young (EY) Cyprus part of the global EY brand and the Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties (GRASP) from France.

This diverse partnership ensures a wide range of expertise, facilities, and geographic coverage, critical for addressing the complex challenges posed by atmospheric dust.

The Dust-DN project kickoff meeting will take place on 20 January 2025, marking the launch of this ambitious initiative. Participants will present the project’s objectives, methodologies, and timeline. To foster public engagement, the public part of the kickoff meeting will be in the form of pre-recorded videos presenting the project and its partners. It will be made available on the official YouTube channel of Dust-DN :

For more details about the Dust-DN project and to follow its progress, visit the project website at https://dust-dn.cyi.ac.cy/.

For any queries or interview requests, please contact:

  • Prof. Franco Marenco (English inquiries): f.marenco (at) cyi.ac.cy
  • Dr. Kostas Fragkos (Greek inquiries): k.fragkos (at) cyi.ac.cy

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101168425, as well as two national agencies: UKRI in the United Kingdom and SERI in Switzerland.

Dust-DN webinar and extended application deadline

The Dust Doctoral Network (Dust-DN), led by CARE-C of the Cyprus Institute, is recruiting PhD students for 17 ambitious research projects in the theme of atmospheric dust and the deadline has been extended until 30 September 2024.

PhD LOCATIONS: Cyprus, United Kingdom, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Germany, Switzerland.

Dust is a major atmospheric aerosol, and it gives us one of the most visible and detectable aspects of transboundary transport of atmospheric constituents, impacting visibility, radiation and climate. It affects the environment, society, and several economic sectors, with impacts on the transportation and energy sectors for example, the nature and cost of which is not fully understood and quantified. The Dust Doctoral Network will train a cohort of scientists to become leaders in this field of research.

If you would like to learn more about DUST-DN, you can join the *webinar* dedicated to the network, organised by the Barcelona Dust Regional Centre on Wednesday 18 September at 15:00 CEST. The webinar information can be found here: https://dust.aemet.es/news-events/events/europe-webinar-for-the-dust-doctoral-network

If you are interested in applying for the available PhD positions, please visit the project webpage ( https://dust-dn.cyi.ac.cy/ ). The selected candidates will be appointed under a 36-months full-time employment contract and will be enrolled in a PhD programme at one or more project partner institutions, under the MSCA scheme ( https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/doctoral-networks ).

Dust-DN Extends Advisory Phase Application Deadline

We are pleased to announce that the application deadline for the Advisory Phase Application has been extended to September 30, 2024. This extension provides prospective applicants with additional time to prepare and submit their applications.

Dust-DN is dedicated to advancing the understanding of atmospheric dust and its impacts through multidisciplinary research. We encourage early career scientists interested in atmospheric sciences, geology, and the socio-economic impacts of dust to apply.

For more information and to submit your application, please visit our application page.

Webinar for the Dust Doctoral Network hosted by the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre

Today 21 August 2024 the Dust-DN coordinator Franco Marenco will give a webinar on Dust-DN. The presentation will overview Dust-DN, which has been designed to address gaps in the understanding of dust and its impacts by linking the different disciplines and methods. The aim is to train a team of early career scientists into overcoming compartmentalism in this field of science, and into developing a multi-disciplinary approach to mineral dust. Dust-DN will set up a network of academic and non-academic partners working on different aspects of dust research, and will coordinate a program of doctoral projects that will enhance knowledge across a broad range of fundamental, but linked, components of the atmospheric dust life cycle and its impacts. The projects will span across the disciplines of atmospheric sciences (dust processes, modelling, and remote sensing), geology (dust emissions and source regions), as well as the impacts on society and economic sectors.

For more details: https://dust03.bsc.es/news-events/events

Dust-DN recruits 17 doctoral candidates

The Dust Doctoral Network (Dust-DN) has been selected with full marks to contribute to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of Horizon Europe, and will officially start operations on 1 November 2024. A recruitment campaign for seventeen doctoral candidates within our prestigious network has now started, with a deadline at the end of August 2024. The Dust-DN website explains the network’s objectives and displays the job adverts: https://dust-dn.cyi.ac.cy/

Dust is a major atmospheric aerosol, and it gives us one of the most visible and detectable aspects of transboundary transport of atmospheric constituents, impacting visibility, radiation and climate. It affects the environment, society, and several economic sectors, with impacts on the transportation and energy sectors for example, the nature and cost of which is not fully understood and quantified. Dust-DN will train a cohort of scientists to become leaders in this field of research.

Dust-DN in a nutshell:

  • The first doctoral network on a European scale (to our knowledge), bringing together expertise on mineral dust in the atmosphere, combining multidisciplinary aspects.
  • A strategic international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral alliance of high-profile beneficiaries and associated partners, able to leverage on unique state-of-the-art facilities
  • A careful blend between individual research projects and integrated combined training and networking, and a critical mass on dust-focused studies using complementary methodologies.
  • Exposure of the doctoral candidates to differing research and working environments, multiple technologies and methodologies.
  • Training in the atmospheric sciences, dust science questions, transferable skills and on the partners’ unique research infrastructures, enabling to tackle the bigger picture of dust challenges.
  • Dedicated applied research projects with direct contributions and impacts embedded with the societal and industrial sector.