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Press statement, Bonn, 16/05/2022

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) forecast initialised at 00 UTC on 16 May 2022. Credit: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service/ECMWF.

Aerosol forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service observed another large plume of Saharan dust moving west across the Atlantic between 12-17 May and heading towards the Caribbean. According to the forecast, the plume will also reach western Europe on 20 and 21 May. CAMS data monitor the dust transport every year and throughout all stages, while also noting that this year has shown, and continues to show, high levels of dust transport across the Mediterranean and parts of Europe.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecasts since 12 May have been showing another large plume of dust with very high values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and dust concentrations travelling westwards across the Atlantic Ocean, predicted to reach the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico on 16 May and 17 May respectively. The forecast from 16 May also shows a strong plume predicted to reach the Iberian Peninsula and western Europe on 20 and 21 May.

CAMS tracks all stages of dust transport from the Sahara Desert every year and has been providing continuous updates on the severity of this year’s dust transport, including the high values seen over western Europe during mid-March. CAMS also provides continuous data and forecasts tracking long-range dust transport both on a European and global scale. The data and tools provided are free-to-use and serve as a tool to help citizens, businesses, and policymakers make informed decisions on a continuous basis with 24/7 air quality forecast data.

Senior Scientist, Mark Parrington, at the ECMWF Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service comments: “The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service positions itself in the discussion of how atmospheric composition is changing as CAMS’ information is based on near-real-time satellite and in situ observations for reliable air quality forecasts so that users are able to track the dust transport and know, for example, when areas are experiencing exceptionally poor air quality.”

You can find more information on the CAMS monitoring of this year’s Saharan dust season here:

https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/what-saharan-dust-and-how-does-it-change-atmosphere-and-air-we-breathe-nf

https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/saharan-dust-qas-nf

Additional air quality data can be found in the Atmospheric Data Store (ADS):

https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/cdsapp#!/dataset/cams-global-atmospheric-composition-forecasts?tab=overview

and

https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/cdsapp#!/dataset/cams-europe-air-quality-forecasts?tab=overview

Notes to editors

Copernicus is a component of the European Union’s space programme, with funding by the EU, and is its flagship Earth observation programme, which operates through six thematic services: Atmosphere, Marine, Land, Climate Change, Security and Emergency. It delivers freely accessible operational data and services providing users with reliable and up-to-date information related to our planet and its environment. The programme is coordinated and managed by the European Commission and implemented in partnership with the Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU Agencies and Mercator Océan, amongst others.

ECMWF operates two services from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). They also contribute to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS), which is implemented by the EU Joint Research Council (JRC). The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by 35 states. It is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its Member States. This data is fully available to the national meteorological services in the Member States. The supercomputer facility (and associated data archive) at ECMWF is one of the largest of its type in Europe and Member States can use 25% of its capacity for their own purposes.

ECMWF has expanded its location across its Member States for some activities. In addition to an HQ in the UK and Computing Centre in Italy, new offices with a focus on activities conducted in partnership with the EU, such as Copernicus, are in Bonn, Germany as of Summer 2021.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service website can be found at http://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/

The Copernicus Climate Change Service website can be found at https://climate.copernicus.eu/

More information on Copernicus: www.copernicus.eu

The ECMWF website can be found at https://www.ecmwf.int/