On March 13th, 2026, the ATARRI project and the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence hosted a highly technical and engaging webinar exploring the complexities of atmospheric composition and forecasting. The session, titled “Data Assimilation for Aerosols: The ECMWF Approach,” featured Dr. Angela Benedetti, Principal Scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), who provided 27 participants with a deep dive into the operational mechanics of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).
As an EU flagship service since 2015, CAMS utilizes global datasets to revolutionize our understanding of air quality and climate change through the ECMWF Integrated Forecast System (IFS). A central focus of the discussion was the 4D-Var assimilation system, which integrates aerosol aspects into global models to enhance predictive accuracy. Dr. Benedetti detailed the diverse data streams powering these models, including Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from EUMETSAT and NASA, alongside reflectances from MODIS and VIIRS. Furthermore, the session highlighted the future of forecasting through Lidar technology, specifically the use of backscatter and extinction data from the ATLID EarthCARE lidar and ground-based ceilometers. These advancements allow CAMS to provide critical atmospheric analyses and forecasts up to 96 hours ahead, supporting both regional and global applications in environmental security and climate resilience.