During the first weeks of October, I visited the Earth Science Department of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, to gain a deeper knowledge of dust transport modelling. The training’s focus was the design of an effective strategy for the comparison of measured vertical dust profiles and model outputs.
Regarding this aspects, my training covered a range of topics including dust emission, dust size distribution representation, deposition processes, and optical property calculations. Additionally, during my stay at BSC I had the chance to discuss a wide range of topics with many researchers of the group. This was an important help for me and put my research into a wider context.
The performance of dust transport models is routinely monitored using ground based and satellite measurements. The most used measurements, however, don't provide information about the vertical distribution of dust, an important parameter that affects many aspects of model's performance. My work in the ITaRS project aims to improve this aspect by developing processing procedures and algorithms that will allow the routine evaluation of dust vertical distribution over Europe using lidar data from the EARLINET network. An important first step in this respect is to develop a plan and metrics to perform the comparison of measurements and models in a comprehensive and well planned way.
During my stay in Barcelona, I had the chance to learn and discuss several important aspect of dust modelling, giving extra attention to elements that could affect the vertical distribution of dust such as the meteorological driving model, dust emission processes, and the size distribution of dust both at the dust sources and during the transport. With the help of Prof. Jose Maria Baldasano and Sara Basart, I gained a much better understanding of dust modelling processes and an important insight into the continuation of my project. Additionally, during my stay at BSC I had the change to discuss a wide range of topics including the satellite remote sensing of dust, dust – radiation interaction, measurement assimilation processes etc.
In total, my secondment at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre was very positive. I would like to thank Prof. Jose Maria Baldasano, Sara, Enric, Enza, Antonis and all the members of the BSC team for their interest, help, and hospitality during my stay. I hope that this visit will be the start of a long-lasting cooperation.
Photo: By courtesy of Barcelona Supercomputing Center - www.bsc.es