Caveats in validating the aerosol-climate models with satellite retrievals and in-situ observations

The aerosols have recently been incorporated into increasing number of global climate models. Aerosol models in global climate models are validated using variety of ground-based observations and satellite retrievals. Both data have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, in-situ observations of particle size and composition give exact information on the aerosol distribution for small regions on the ground while satellite retrievals give a broader view on the global distribution of aerosols. In both cases the rather coarse spatial and temporal resolution of the global models increase the difficulty of using these data for their validation. I will demonstrate the limitations of the satellite retrievals and in-situ observations when comparing with models and demonstrate how, for example, collocation of the data can help to improve the match between models and observations.

Go to webcast

Lecture slides