Aerosol analysis and forecast in the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecast System: Forward modeling

TLDR

The paper introduces the aerosol component integrated into the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). The IFS incorporates prognostic variables for sea salt, dust, organic matter, black carbon, and sulphate aerosols, using detailed parameterizations for their sources, sinks, and interactions with dynamics and physics. Comparisons with satellite and surface data show the forecast‑only IFS reproduces aerosol optical depth within 0.12 of observations, accurately capturing horizontal distribution, temporal variability, and dust plume events.

Abstract

This paper presents the aerosol modeling now part of the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). It includes new prognostic variables for the mass of sea salt, dust, organic matter and black carbon, and sulphate aerosols, interactive with both the dynamics and the physics of the model. It details the various parameterizations used in the IFS to account for the presence of tropospheric aerosols. Details are given of the various formulations and data sets for the sources of the different aerosols and of the parameterizations describing their sinks. Comparisons of monthly mean and daily aerosol quantities like optical depths against satellite and surface observations are presented. The capability of the forecast model to simulate aerosol events is illustrated through comparisons of dust plume events. The ECMWF IFS provides a good description of the horizontal distribution and temporal variability of the main aerosol types. The forecast‐only model described here generally gives the total aerosol optical depth within 0.12 of the relevant observations and can therefore provide the background trajectory information for the aerosol assimilation system described in part 2 of this paper.