Evaluation of the CAMS global atmospheric trace gas reanalysis 2003-2016 using aircraft campaign observations

Abstract

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has produced a global reanalysis of aerosol and reactive gases (called CAMSRA) for the period 2003-2016. Space observations of ozone, carbon monoxide, NO2 and aerosol optical depth are assimilated by a 4D-Var method in the 60-layer ECMWF global atmospheric model, which for the reanalysis is operated at a horizontal resolution of about 80 km. As a contribution to the evaluation of the reanalysis, we compare atmospheric concentrations of different reactive species provided by the CAMS reanalysis with independent observational data gathered by airborne instrumentation during the field campaigns INTEX-A, INTEX-B, NEAQS-ITCT, ITOP, AMMA, ARCTAS, VOCALS, YAK-AEROSIB, HIPPO and KORUS-AQ. We show that the reanalysis rather successfully reproduces the observed concentrations of chemical species that are assimilated in the system, including O3 and CO with biases generally less than 20 %, but generally underestimates the concentrations of the primary hydrocarbons and secondary organic species. In some cases, large discrepancies also exist for fast-reacting radicals such as OH and HO2.