BIOSPHERE: The impact of cosmic and UV radiation on the health of Earth’s life and ozone layer

The biosphere is defined as the region on, above, and below the Earth's surface where life exists. It is a fragile system, impacted by many factors. The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) partnered up with 21 other European research institutions in the EURAMET-BIOSPHERE project (Metrology for Earth Biosphere: Cosmic rays, ultraviolet radiation and fragility of ozone shield), with the aim to evaluate the impact of cosmic and UV radiation on Earth’s biosphere, more specifically on the ozone layer and human skin cells.

Within the BIOSPHERE project, BIRA-IASB was responsible for the analysis of space radiation observations, simulating their effects on the atmosphere, leading the four measurement campaigns, and for public outreach. EURAMET-BIOSPHERE ran from 2022 until September 2025 and 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.

Main results

The most important results concern the effects of the strongest geomagnetic storm for the last 20 years on 11 May 2024, caused by a big solar eruption and generating auroras visible at low latitudes all around the world. For the first time, four electron radiation belts have been discovered (Pierrard et al., 2024), as well as an exceptional injection of protons in the South Atlantic Anomaly, thanks to the observations of the EPT (Energetic Particle Telescope) instrument on board the PROBA-V satellite. The electron density in the ionosphere and plasmasphere was strongly depleted during more than one day after the storm (Pierrard et al., 2025a) and ozone (O₃) in the thermosphere was also affected (Winant et al., 2025).

More generally, electron and proton flux variations during Solar Energetic Particle Events, minimum and maximum solar activity have been modelled (Pierrard et al., 2023). The medical researchers of the project also discovered that skin cells are much more damaged when they are exposed to combined fields of cosmic and UV radiation, highly exceeding additive expectations (Gkikoudi et al., 2024).

Databases and good practice guides for radiobiological experiments and effects of solar events on the terrestrial atmosphere have been developed and made available to the community.

Measurement campaigns

In addition to the continuous ground-based and satellite observations, a total of 4 measurement campaigns were organized in Athens (Greece), Brussels Uccle Plateau (Belgium), Milešovka Observatory (Czech Republic), and Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory (Germany) under the lead of David Bolsée, head of BIRA-IASB’s department of Solar irradiance and radiometry. Quantifications of the relationship between cosmic radiation, solar UV-radiation and anthropogenic emissions in the atmosphere have been determined (Pierrard et al., 2025b) by adding local measurements of:

1. Muon and neutron fluxes (cosmic radiation) at ground level
2. Spectrum of UV-radiation reaching Earth
3. Total ozone column

A new detector of energetic particles

A new detector of energetic particles 3DEES (3 Dimensions Energetic Electrons) was also launched on 5 December 2024 on the PROBA-3 satellite and is currently measuring the spatial fluxes of energetic particles in the terrestrial radiation belts.   Contrary to the EPT that flies on board PROBA-V on a low polar orbit at 820 km, 3DEES crosses the heart of the radiation belts and can measure the fluxes in different directions with respect to the magnetic field.

The Project 21GRD02 BIOSPHERE has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Program and by the Participating States.

References

• Gkikoudi, G Manda, C Beinke, U Giesen, A Al-Qaaod, EM Dragnea, M Dobre, I V Neagoe, T Sangsuwan, S Haghdoost, S N Vasilopoulos, S Triantopoulou, A Georgakopoulou, I Tremi, P N Koutsoudaki, S Havaki, V G Gorgoulis, M Kokkoris, F Krasniqi, G I Terzoudi, A G Georgakilas, Synergistic Effects of UVB and Ionizing Radiation on Human Non-Malignant Cells: Implications for Ozone Depletion and Secondary Cosmic Radiation Exposure, Biomolecules 15 (4), 536, 2025.
• Pierrard V., S. Benck, E. Botek, S. Borisov, A. Winant, Proton flux variations during Solar Energetic Particle Events, minimum and maximum solar activity and splitting of the proton belt in the South Atlantic Anomaly, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 128, e2022JA031202. DOI: 10.1029/2022JA031202, 2023.
• Pierrard V., Bolsée D., Winant A., Krasniqi F., Al-Qaaod A., Péters de Bonhome M., Botek E, Van Laeken L., Sapundjiev D., Van Malderen R., Mangold A., Ambrozova I., Sommer M., Slegl J., Geronikolou, S.A., Georgakilas A.G., Dorn A., Rapp B., Solc J., Marek L., Oancea C., Doppler L., Langer R., Sabia M., Vuolo M., Granja C., BIOSPHERE measurement campaign from January 2024 to March 2024 and in May 2024: Effects of the solar events on the radiation belts, UV radiation and ozone in the atmosphere, AIMS Geoscience, 2025b, Volume 11, Issue 1: 117-154. DOI: 10.3934/geosci.2025007, 2025b.
• Pierrard V., Verhulst T.G.W., Chevalier J.-M., Bergeot N., Winant, A. Effects of the Geomagnetic Superstorms of 10–11 May 2024 and 7–11 October 2024 on the Ionosphere and Plasmasphere. Atmosphere 16, 299. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16030299, 2025b.
• Pierrard V., A. Winant, E. Botek, and M. Péters de Bonhome, The Mother’s Day solar storm of 11 May 2024 and its effect on Earth’s radiation belts, Universe, 10, 10, 391, https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10100391, 2024.
• Winant M., Pierrard V., Botek E., Ozone decrease observed in the upper atmosphere following the May 11th 2024 Mother’s day solar storm, Annales Geophysicae, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2024-29, 2025.