Draft Minutes of the WMO SDS-WAS 2012-2 conference call on dust modelling

Date: Nov. 15, 2012 – 14:30-16:00 UTC

Attendees: Michael Schulz (NMI), Slobodan Nickovic (WMO), EnricTerradellas (AEMET), José M. Baldasano (BSC-CNS), Francesco Benincasa(BSC-CNS), Sara Basart (BSC-CNS), Jane Mulcahy(UKMO), Malcolm E. Brooks (UKMO), GoranPejanovic (SEEVCCC), Sarah Lu (NCEP), Arlindo Da Silva (NASA), Nicolas Huneeus (LMD), Angela Benedetti (ECMWF)

Incidents: Sarah reports audio problems that prevented her from speaking during the meeting.

Draft agenda:

  1. Adoption of the agenda
  2. Overview of the current activities
  3. Plan for future actions
  4. Data policy issues
  5. AOB

Minutes:

  1. Adoption of the agenda
  • The draft agenda is adopted without any changes
  1. Overview of the current activities
  • Enricpresentsa summaryof the current activitiesof the Regional Centreregarding inter-comparisonand evaluation of dust models.
  1. Plan for future actions
  • Enricproposessome new productsthat can be addedtothe inter-comparisonand evaluation
  • ACTION: Publication of daily maps of multi-model spread
  • ACTION: Inclusion of correlation coefficient,fractional gross errorand eventually other statistics into the monthly/seasonal/annual evaluation scores
  • ACTION: Generation of comparison against coarse-mode AOD
  • ACTION: Generation of time series comparing observations and multi-model centrality/spread products.

An eventual evaluation of surface extinction with visibility data from meteorological reports is discussed. At the moment there is not a general agreement to exchange this parameter and the Regional Center will continue working on the comparison of surface concentration with visibility.

  • Nicolas informs about the case study of April 2011
  • ACTION: Goran and Sarah will join the study
  • ACTION: Nicolas will distribute a draft manuscript by the end of Jan 2013
  1. Data policy issues
  • Discussion about publication of evaluation scores
  • ACTION: Evaluation scores will be made publicly available through the Regional Center web portal
  • Sarah informs that once a model goes to operational production at NCEP, all dataandsource code are in public domain.
  1. AOB
  • Michael proposes the preparation of a paper on the model intercomparison and evaluation
  • ACTION: The preparation of a paper will be undertaken after the preparation of a book chapter, which will serve as a draft to it.
  • Jane inquires about the commitment to allow web-based downloading of model output files. The Regional Center informs that it has been postponed due to new requirements with higher priority. The cost to develop it has to be re-evaluated.
  • Nicko informs on the likely designation of the AEMET-BSC consortium to produce and disseminate operational dust forecasts for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe.
  • Nicko informs on the upcoming WebEx meeting of the WMO SDS-WAS Regional Steering Group.
  • Nicko informs on WMO SDS-WAS activities in the Middle East.

Regional Center web portal

Non-linked products may be found at