EuMetChem - COST Action ES1004

Objectives and Benefits

Main/primary objectives

An overall objective of the Action is to set up a multi-disciplinary forum for online integrated air quality/meteorology modelling and elaboration of the European strategy for a new-generation integrated ACT/NWP-CLIM modelling capability/framework.

The main topics are:

1. Online versus offline modelling: advantages and disadvantages,
2.  Analysis of priorities, particularly focusing on interaction/feedback mechanisms,
3. Chemical data assimilation in integrated models,
4. European strategy/framework/centre for online integrated modelling,
5. Evaluation and validation framework of online ACT/NWP-CLIM models,
6. Collection of suitable datasets for model development and evaluation.

Secondary objectives

Specific objectives addressing the key components of the overall goal are:

• Critical review of existing online coupled integrated modelling systems in Europe and worldwide;
• Identification of critical gaps in current knowledge;
• Better co-ordination between different on-going research efforts;
• Establishment of networking between groups focusing on parameterizations of feedbacks and interactions;
• Development of a comprehensive strategy and specific action plan for improving the scientific knowledge and converting the findings into integrated modelling systems;
• Establishing a two-way dialog with end-users;
• Agreeing on input data formats for easy application in multiple models;
• Recommendations for a software bank with agreed coding standards (i.e. making easier an interchange and coupling various parts of modelling systems).

How will the objectives be achieved?

The Action participants represent most of the European teams developing online integrated modeling systems, key American experts in this field, and collectively have world-leading expertise and research track record in the online integrated modelling. So, all the European integrated ACT-NWP/Chem models will be involved in the COST Actions analysis, intercomparison and recommendations. The Action members, invited experts and external partners from the collaborating projects have access to a wide range of methods, parameterisations, datasets and the latest NWP and ACT models to undertake the analysis and simulations and achieve the objectives.

Considered in the Action models, modules, parameterisation and datasets (subject of an agreement with the developer) will also be shared with other projects collaborating with the COST Action. Methodologies, model inventories, case studies and validation protocols and datasets will be adapted from previous and current projects and COST Actions (e.g. the model inventory and evaluation protocols – from COST 728; specific case studies, emission inventories and scenarios, ensemble tools, model setups and parameterisations – from COST ES0602, FP7 projects MEGAPOLI, MACC, PEGASOS, TRANSPHORM, modelling systems and computer facilities of participating research organisations, NWP centres and communities, e.g. the Chemical branch of the HIRLAM consortium, etc.

Benefits of the Action

The Action will constitute an important element in cross-discipline co-ordination of research and application studies related to integrated air quality and weather/climate modelling. The planned comprehensive reviews of achievements and existing gaps, advantages and shortcomings (both within each research area and across their inter-connections) will lead to a better understanding of the variety of processes determining and influencing numerical weather forecasting and chemical weather and climate, as well as their interactions.

Within ACT/NWP-CLIM the challenge will be in predicting the incredibly complex atmospheric system that contains non-linear hydrodynamic, thermodynamic, radiative, chemical, and physical interactions. It will also highlight the existing gaps in knowledge and help identify the most important areas for future developments towards advanced integrated forecasting and simulation systems for chemistry and meteorology/climate.

Two-way coupling of chemistry and atmosphere components will be used for application to CWF, decadal predictions and long-term climate change simulations. The primary aim of the Action will be to improve our understanding of chemistry-atmosphere feedbacks at scales ranging from global to regional/local. This will entail the participation of modelling groups working on different scales, which will improve the dialog and interactions across these communities. The design of benchmark experiments and observational datasets will enable different groups to evaluate their models and simulated feedback processes within a coordinated effort including a variety of modelling systems. European integrated modelling framework and strategy will be elaborated in this Action. Different feedback mechanisms for ACT, NWP and CLIM modelling will be analysed.

Direct outcomes from the Action will include benefits for:

1. meteorological weather forecasting (e.g., in urban areas, severe weather events, fog and visibility, UV-radiation and solar energy, etc.),
2. chemical weather/air quality and bio-meteorology forecasting,
3. seasonal and decadal air quality/climate prediction,
4. global and regional projections of the climate/earth system.

Outcome from the Action will also include benefits for scientific community via

1. Better integration of researches across very different areas of Earth sciences,
2. Linking developments aiming at mutual enrichment and cross-validation,
3. Identifying important areas for future research,
4. Providing a flexible forum for planning future activities.

Specific scientific impacts of the Action will include,

1. A list of strengths and weaknesses of the existing knowledge-base,
2. Established/strengthened communication between different fields,
3. Established/strengthened connections with end users and beneficiaries of physical and chemical weather integrated assessment and forecast systems,
4. A mid-to-long-term common research agenda for the future.

Target groups/end users

The target group and potential end-users are:

• Scientific institutes and laboratories working in the related areas and organizations coordinating European, international, and national research programmes;
• European, national, and regional authorities, whom are responsible for the strategy to provide comfortable conditions of residing for the population;
• National authorities, meteorological services, environmental research institutes, which are developing the strategy to improve the quality of forecasting weather, climate and air quality changes;
• National and municipal authorities maintaining control over the quality of weather and air quality forecasts;
• Ministries of education and Universities responsible for educational programmes in meteorology, climate change and environmental protection;
• European Environment Agency, WHO, EUMetNet, ECMWF and other organisations that participate in the formulation and application of research policies, like the European Commission and the associated DGs;
• WMO and its units responsible for international monitoring programmes, research and education in meteorology, climate change and environmental protection;
• Organisations responsible for preventive measures against weather–related emergencies;
• Organisations, providing preventive measures against emergencies related to hazardous levels of air pollution concentrations.