Royal Belgian Institute for Space AeronomyPhysics and chemistry of the atmosphere of the Earth and other planets, and of outer space.
Solar radiation
The full solar spectrum and its variability during a solar cycle, only measurable from space, are fundamental for the solar physics, the Earth’s climate and atmospheric chemistry.
BIRA-IASB contributes to the understanding of the Sun-to-Earth link by:
- developing instrumentation to measure the spectral shape of sunlight and analyzing the instruments' observations
- examining the solar radiation and its penetration to the surface of the Earth
as well as the long-term changes of these two parameters.
EURAMET-BIOSPHERE has successfully developed tools, methodologies and measurement infrastructures needed to evaluate the mutual impact of cosmic rays and biologically active ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Such results support EU policy makers with scientific assessments and information that have the potential to substantially improve policies on climate, health and anthropogenic emission activities.
Consequences of increasing biologically active UV and space radiations, with significant implication for human health, plants and ecosystems, like cancers and cellular dysfunctions.
September 2 marked the two-year anniversary of PICASSO’s launch, the first CubeSat mission of BIRA-IASB.