Cambridge, Massachusetts – Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. (AER) is pleased to announce that the RRTM (Rapid Radiation Transfer Model) radiation code developed by its Radiation and Climate Group has been adopted by the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts) as its official longwave radiation code. In a message received by AER scientists, the ECMWF noted that since June 27, 2000, RRTM became the longwave radiation transfer code in the ECMWF operational weather forecast model. It is also used as part of the ECMWF ensemble forecast system, and will be in the experimental seasonal forecast runs.

The implementation of RRTM is one of the scientific collaborations which AER has undertaken recently with ECMWF, the international organization established in 1973 as a European Cooperation in Science and Technology project supported by eighteen European States. The principal objectives of ECMWF are the development of numerical methods for medium forecasting and the daily preparation of medium forecasts for distribution to the meteorological services of the Member States.

RRTM was developed at AER by Dr. Eli Mlawer and Michael J. Iacono, under the leadership of Shepard A. Clough, Manager of the Radiation and Climate Group. The Group's central focus is on atmospheric radiative processes and their relationship to Earth's climate. One of the principal themes of the Group's research is the development of radiatively consistent, computationally efficient radiative transfer models for implementation in numerical models for weather forecasting and climate change studies. The RRTM is a product of this research effort. The development has been supported by the US Department of Energy through its Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program which has as a principal objective the transition of measurements results to the weather and climate modeling community.

Founded in 1977, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. is an award with demonstrated expertise in remote sensing, satellite meteorology, numerical weather prediction, climate dynamics and radiation, circulation diagnostics, atmospheric chemistry, air quality and risk assessment, planetary sciences, and systems engineering. In addition to its Cambridge, MA headquarters, AER has offices in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA; and Omaha, NE.