Recently, the final 2015 project acceptance list for the National Key Basic Research and Development Program (including major research programs) was released by the Ministry of Science and Technology. “Research on Comprehensive Observation and Temporal-Spatial Distribution of Multi-Scale Aerosol” (RCOTDMA) conducted by GU Xingfa, Research Fellow and Chief Scientist of the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was accepted as a project of excellence. Only 50 of the 180 accepted projects received this rating.

This outstanding project was approved in 2010 and concluded in 2015. Led by RADI, it was jointly undertaken by the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC), the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) under CAS, the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (AIOFM) under CAS, the Satellite Environment Center (SEC) under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) University of Science and Technology.

The project was designed for research on aerosol remote sensing, temporal-spatial variations in aerosol properties across China over the past 30 years, and the relationship between aerosols and climatic effects. RCOTDMA created new space-air-ground observation technologies for aerosol remote sensing, developed a new type of algorithm for aerosol parameter inversion, built a ground-based aerosol remote sensing observation network for China’s typical regions, constructed China’s typical aerosol model and aerosol dataset fusion algorithm, created stable and reliable aerosol optical depth datasets over China’s territory for the past 30 years, systematically analyzed the rules for temporal-spatial variation of aerosol properties across China over the same period, and utilized models to simulate the mean value and variation trend of aerosol radiative forcing in China over the past three decades. These advancements are of obvious significance to environmental evaluation of China's aerosols and assessment of the effects of aerosols on climate change.

The project produced a total of 177 academic papers, 93 of which were SCI-rated papers, published two monographs, and was granted 8 national invention patents. It also won a national second prize for scientific and technological progress. The project was granted one scientific fund for outstanding youth from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and five talent awards at provincial and ministerial levels. It trained 6 post-doctoral researchers, 51 doctoral students, and 45 master students.

The project kick-off meeting was held in Beijing on September 3, 2010.

A distribution map of remotely sensed aerosol optical depth (AOD) across China from 1981 to 2014.