• Number 340  |
• June 27, 2011

A shared approach for climate insight

Around the world, scientists are modeling the impact of aerosols, tiny atmospheric particles that could play a big role in global climate change. Each model is different, drawing on different data sets and different configurations. When plugged into global climate models, it is not clear which smaller model is more accurate or computationally less expensive. So, scientists at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed the Aerosol Modeling Testbed, which allows scientists to evaluate their models in a collaborative environment.

"Without the testbed, we will eventually arrive at a better understanding of the science, but it could be too late," said Dr. Jerome Fast, who led the development at PNNL. "Aerosol modeling today is very haphazard; there is not a lot of systematic testing and evaluation of new aerosol process modules. We have to improve climate change models much more quickly than we are doing now. We can research ad infinitum, but our job is to understand the science and advise policy makers on corrective measures." Building the AMT was funded by PNNL's Laboratory Directed Research and Development program through the Aerosol Climate Initiative. The testbed is offered at no charge to the research community..

[Kristin Manke, 509.372.6011,
kristin.manke@pnnl.gov]