Group of Terrestrial Planets Atmospheres


The GAPT (http://gapt.iaa.es, www.trappa.es) has a long tradition on the study of the planetary atmospheres by analyzing their IR non-LTE emissions. We have participated in many space missions since the early 90's, as SAMS, ATMOS, ISAMS, and CLAES. More recently we have been Co-Is of the TIMED/SABER of NASA, Vex/VIRTIS, ETGO/NOMAD, and members of the SAG and QWG of Envisat/MIPAS. We are experts in non-LTE radiative transfer, in retrievals of temperature and composition from non-LTE IR emissions, and in the physics and chemistry of the middle and upper regions of planetary atmospheres. We also develop and use general circulation models (GCMs) to analyze the satellite data and to better understand the planetary atmospheres. Recently, new members have incorporated with expertise on atmospheric plasmas. We are currently involved in the ESA/ASIM and CNES/TARANIS missions, to be launched in 2018 and 2020, that aim at studying from space the influence of TLEs on the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Main specialization

Área de investigación:
Disciplina ERC:
  • PE - DOMAIN PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • PE9 Universe Sciences
Industrial Leadership:
  • 6. Space
  • 6.3. Enabling exploitation of space data
Societal Challenges:
  • 5. Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials
  • 5.5. Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems