Prof. Pieternel Levelt (KNMI/TU Delft) and the TROPOMI team receive the Snellius Medal for their observations of gases and aerosols in the atmosphere. Starting in 1951, the medal has been awarded once every ten years for work in the field of natural sciences, excluding chemistry and biology.
Levelt’s work has generated new knowledge about ozone, nitrogen oxides, aerosols and methane in the Earth’s atmosphere. These play a central role in social problems such as the ozone hole, nitrogen surplus, air pollution and climate change. The award also recognises Levelt’s leadership in the development of scientific space instruments such as OMI and TROPOMI and their application.
The jury praises her scientific work and its great social relevance. In addition, the jury explicitly includes the colleagues of the TROPOMI team in this award: “Without the essential contributions of colleagues from KNMI, TNO, SRON and Airbus, the realisation of these satellite instruments would not have been possible.” The jury also points out that the success of these instruments is partly based on optics developed by the team itself.
KNMI and SRON are the co-PI institutes of TROPOMI. SRON developed the immersed grating and supplied the readout electronics for the short-wave infrared detector. At this wavelength, SRON scientists scan the atmosphere worldwide for major sources of methane and carbon monoxide.
