The LOng-LIved greenhouse gas PrOducts Performances (LOLIPOP) project, part of the European Space Agency’s Climate Change Initiative (CCI), organised a two-day user workshop at the CNR Research Area in Bologna, Italy, on November 18-19, 2025. The workshop brought together experts from both the observational and modeling communities, as well as current and potential end users to explore the critical role of Other Long-Lived Greenhouse Gases (OLLGHGs) in climate and atmospheric science and contribute shaping the future of greenhouse gas research.
Background
The ESA CCI delivers high-quality, satellite-derived data of key climate-sensitive variables across various Earth Observation domains. While previous atmospheric chemistry activities have addressed gases like ozone, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane, the LOLIPOP CCI project focuses on assessing the quality of satellite data for Other Long-Lived GreenHouse Gases (OLLGHGs), including N2O, SF6, CFCs, HCFCs, and their crucial role in climate and atmospheric modeling. This project aims to address significant knowledge gaps in understanding atmospheric chemistry and climate change drivers.
Workshop objectives
The LOLIPOP workshop provided a dedicated forum to exchange project results, share relevant case studies, and discuss strategies for maximizing the use of OLLGHGs datasets. In particular:
- Evaluating and updating established user requirements for OLLGHGs data;
- Reviewing the state of the art in satellite-based OLLGHGs measurements;
- Assessing how well existing observations meet application needs;
- Discussing the usability of current data for climate models;
- Promoting interdisciplinary exchange between observers, analysts, and modelers.
Participants had the opportunity to present their research activities, provide expert feedback on project findings, and build valuable connections across the scientific community.
Agenda and Presentations
Day 1 (Tuesday, November 18, 2025)
- Welcome - Maria Cristina Facchini (CNR-ISAC Director)
- Opening Remarks – Bianca Maria Dinelli (CNR-ISAC)
- Italy’s view on Space - Deodato Tapete (ASI)
- ESA CCI programme Intro - Simon Pinnock (ESA)
- Overview of the ESA CCI LOLIPOP project - Elisa Castelli (CNR-ISAC)
- Dataset harmonization and validation/inter-comparison: Nadir products - Bart Dils (BIRA-IASB)
- Dataset harmonization and validation/inter-comparison: Limb products - Kaley Walker (University of Toronto)
- Case study 1: Sensitivity of historical climate model simulations to the OLLGHGs climatology - Federico Fabiano (CNR-ISAC)
- Case study 3: Monitoring of stratospheric chlorine levels and their impacts on ozone recovery - Antonio Giovanni Bruno (NCEO)
- Case study 5: The atmospheric lifetimes of OLLGHGs - Jeremy Harrison (NCEO)
- Case study 4: CLaMS stratospheric circulation estimates - Felix Plöger (FZJ)
- Insights into GCOS's mission for ECVs - Belén Martín Míguez (WMO)
- Insights from the ESA CCI Climate Modelling User Group (CMUG) - Amy Doherty (Met Office)
- Middle atmospheric mean transport derived from satellite data of tracers - Gabriele Stiller (KIT-IMK)
Day 2 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)
- Halocarbon radiative forcing - Keith Shine (University of Reading)
- Operational monitoring of atmospheric composition: current status - Michiel van Weele (KNMI)
- The impact of Space Weather on Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate - Lorenzo Biasiotti (INAF-OATs)
- Simulation of the impact of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions in Togo on global average temperature - Koffi Ayassou (University of Lomé)
- Atmospheric reactivity, infrared absorption cross section and climate metrics of HCFC-132b - Nicola Tasinato (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa)
- Contribution of low-wavenumber absorption to halocarbon radiative forcing - Daniela Alejandra Alvarado Jiménez (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa)
- Age of air from ACE-FTS measurements of sulfur hexafluoride - Laura Saunders (University of Toronto)
- Review of climate applications and user needs - Federico Fabiano (CNR-ISAC)
ESA CCI LOLIPOP Workshop Final Report (available soon)
Scientific Committee
- Simon Pinnock (ESA)
- Bianca Maria Dinelli (CNR-ISAC)
- Elisa Castelli (CNR-ISAC)
- Federico Fabiano (CNR-ISAC)
- Bart Dils (Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy)
- Jeremy Harrison (NCEO)
- Kaley Walker (University of Toronto)
- Gabriele Stiller (KIT-IMK)
Local and Logistic Committee
- Gabriele Brizzi (Serco)
- Elisa Castelli (CNR-ISAC)