Development and evaluation of the Aerosol Forecast Member in the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP)'s Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS-Aerosols v1)

L. Zhang; L. Zhang; R. Montuoro; R. Montuoro; R. Montuoro; S. A. McKeen; S. A. McKeen; B. Baker; B. Baker; P. S. Bhattacharjee; G. A. Grell; J. Henderson; L. Pan; G. J. Frost; J. McQueen; R. Saylor; H. Li; H. Li; R. Ahmadov; R. Ahmadov; J. Wang; I. Stajner; S. Kondragunta; X. Zhang; F. Li

doi:10.5194/gmd-15-5337-2022

Geoscientific Model Development (Jul 2022)

Development and evaluation of the Aerosol Forecast Member in the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP)'s Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS-Aerosols v1)

L. Zhang,
L. Zhang,
R. Montuoro,
R. Montuoro,
R. Montuoro,
S. A. McKeen,
S. A. McKeen,
B. Baker,
B. Baker,
P. S. Bhattacharjee,
G. A. Grell,
J. Henderson,
L. Pan,
G. J. Frost,
J. McQueen,
R. Saylor,
H. Li,
H. Li,
R. Ahmadov,
R. Ahmadov,
J. Wang,
I. Stajner,
S. Kondragunta,
X. Zhang,
F. Li

Affiliations

L. Zhang: CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
L. Zhang: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
R. Montuoro: CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
R. Montuoro: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
R. Montuoro: Environmental Modeling Center, National Weather Service, College Park, MD, USA
S. A. McKeen: CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
S. A. McKeen: Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
B. Baker: NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, College Park, MD, USA
B. Baker: Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
P. S. Bhattacharjee: I.M. Systems Group at NCEP/NWS/EMC, College Park, MD, USA
G. A. Grell: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
J. Henderson: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
L. Pan: I.M. Systems Group at NCEP/NWS/EMC, College Park, MD, USA
G. J. Frost: Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
J. McQueen: Environmental Modeling Center, National Weather Service, College Park, MD, USA
R. Saylor: NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
H. Li: CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
H. Li: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
R. Ahmadov: CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
R. Ahmadov: Global Systems Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA
J. Wang: Environmental Modeling Center, National Weather Service, College Park, MD, USA
I. Stajner: Environmental Modeling Center, National Weather Service, College Park, MD, USA
S. Kondragunta: NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research, College Park, MD, USA
X. Zhang: Geospatial Science Center of Excellence, Department of Geography & Geospatial Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
F. Li: Geospatial Science Center of Excellence, Department of Geography & Geospatial Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5337-2022
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15
pp. 5337 – 5369

Abstract

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Weather Service (NWS) is on its way to deploying various operational prediction applications using the Unified Forecast System (https://ufscommunity.org/, last access: 18 June 2022), a community-based coupled, comprehensive Earth modeling system. An aerosol model component developed in collaboration between the Global Systems Laboratory, Chemical Science Laboratory, Air Resources Laboratory, and Environmental Modeling Center (GSL, CSL, ARL, EMC) was coupled online with the FV3 Global Forecast System (FV3GFS) using the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC)-based NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) software framework. This aerosol prediction system replaced the NEMS GFS Aerosol Component version 2 (NGACv2) system in the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP) production suite in September 2020 as one of the ensemble members of the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS), dubbed GEFS-Aerosols v1. The aerosol component of atmospheric composition in the GEFS is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). GEFS-Aerosols includes bulk modules from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Additionally, the biomass burning plume rise module from High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR)-Smoke based on WRF-Chem was implemented. The GOCART dust scheme was replaced by the FENGSHA dust scheme (developed by ARL). The Blended Global Biomass Burning Emissions Product (GBBEPx version 3) provides biomass burning emission and fire radiative power (FRP) data. The global anthropogenic emission inventories are derived from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS). All sub-grid-scale transport and deposition are handled inside the atmospheric physics routines, which required consistent implementation of positive definite tracer transport and wet scavenging in the physics parameterizations used by the NCEP's operational FV3GFS. This paper describes the details of GEFS-Aerosols model development and evaluation of real-time and retrospective runs using different observations from in situ measurement and satellite and aircraft data. GEFS-Aerosols predictions demonstrate substantial improvements for both composition and variability of aerosol distributions over those from the former operational NGACv2 system with the fundamental updates (e.g., dust and fire emission) in the atmospheric and chemical transport model.

Published in Geoscientific Model Development

ISSN: 1991-959X (Print); 1991-9603 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Science: Geology
Website: https://www.geoscientific-model-development.net/

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