Updates on the Development of the Aerosol Modeling Testbed

The current paradigm in the scientific community of developing and testing new aerosol process modules is haphazard and slow. Aerosol modules are often tested for short simulation periods using limited data so that their overall performance over a wide range of meteorological conditions is not thoroughly evaluated. While several model intercomparison studies have been performed that quantify the differences among aerosol modules, the range of answers provides little insight on how to best improve aerosol predictions. Understanding the true impact of an aerosol process module is also complicated by the fact that other processes such as emissions, meteorology, and chemistry are often treated differently.