Global Production System

Theme coordinator: Adrian Simmons, ECMWF

This theme completes the integration within ECMWF’s global analysis and forecasting system of the components developed under the global themes for greenhouse gases, reactive gases and aerosols. The data assimilation software developed originally for analysis of meteorological variables is extended to include the new constituent species, and the overall system is successively tested, validated and refined. New satellite data for assimilation and in-situ data for validation are acquired, formatted and archived. Web and verification services are developed and maintained, including support for the ensemble regional air-quality forecasts for Europe. The global system is run on a day-to-day basis to analyse current conditions and provide forecasts. A retrospective analysis (reanalysis) of the period 2003–2007 is also being produced.

The figure shows a comparison of monthly-mean aerosol optical depth from the satellite-borne MODIS instrument (left) and from a data-assimilation run using MODIS data (right) for July 2003. The latest global production results for both near-real-time and reanalysis runs can be accessed via the project’s products page.