SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Dust forecast model intercomparison: Case study of the Dust Cloud of April 2011

N. Huneeus and M. Schulz

Proposal for a joint study in the framework of the SDS-NAMEE node

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Rationale

• Examine model performance to simulate dust events affecting Europe and identify whether this is due to vertical profile, optics, size distribution, removal fluxes, wind fields or other model characteristics or processes.

• Assess the models capacity to predict the approach of a dust event affecting Europe.

• Examine how this performance varies for different forecast time steps.

• Dust event of April 2011 was selected for this study.

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Dust event of April 2011

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Dust event of April 2011

Additional observations: Enric Terradellas

Surface concentration (PM10): EMEP stations

LIDAR profiles (e.g. EARLINET, CALIOP)

Satellite products (AOD): e.g. MODIS, MISR

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Dust models

MACC-ECMWF (ECMWF)

INCA-LMDZ (LSCE-IPSL)

Unified Model (MetOffice)

DREAM (BSC, Barcelona)

CHIMERE (LMD-IPSL)

NAAPS (NRL)

P. Knippertz and S. Fiedler (U. Leeds) will be collaborating in the analysis and intercomparison of model emissions

J.-J. Morcrette

M. Schulz

D. Walters

J. Baldasano

L. Menut

J. Reid

NMMB-BSC-Dust C. Pérez

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Variables considered (3 hourly)

• 2D Total AOD@550nm• 2D Dust AOD, total and fine mode (<1um) or per bin • 3D aerosol and dust extinction @550nm• Wind at 10m (zonal and meridional) [m/s]• 3D wind field [m/s] • 2D Surface dust concentration, total and fine mode or per bin. [g/m3]• 2D Total aerosol load [kg/m2]• 3D Dust mixing ratio for all dust tracers in model [kg/kg] (accompanied by

ascii readme file on how to recompute aerosol size)• 2D Emission fluxes, both total and per bin/mode [kg/m2/s]• 2D Removal fluxes (wet & dry), both total and per bin/mode [kg/m2/s]• Temperature, Relative humidity and Pressure fields at surface, 850 and

500 hPa• Soil characteristics

IMPORTANT: Each group has to send the model fields following AeroCom phase II convention on naming of the variables and files

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Thank you!

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011

Is there an appropriate score?

Skill scores are widely used in the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) community and Regional Air quality

Yes NoYes a b a+bNo c d c+d

a+c b+d

Observed

Forecast

E.g.: Contingency tables

Scores=F(a,b,c,d)

More traditional metrics such as Correlation, Bias, root mean square error, their normalized versions, etc

SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group meeting 25-26 February 2011