ICON-ART: Modelling the Atmosphere – from Weather to Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Numerical models let us compute the atmosphere much as engineers compute flows. This talk introduces ICON-ART, the modelling system developed by DWD, MPI-M and KIT, with a focus on the ART extension for aerosols and reactive trace gases. I will explain the icosahedral grid and the online coupling of weather, composition and chemistry. I will also show how model complexity is matched to the question, from passive tracers to full chemistry. A case study then shows ICON-ART at 1 km resolution combined with portable FTIR spectrometers (COCCON). It tests the emission inventories for Thessaloniki, Greece, using a least-squares rescaling (Feld et al., 2025). Finally, I will present how our institute manages and publishes atmospheric data (COCCON, ATMOHub, EVDC).
The talk ends with ideas for collaboration between atmospheric science and mechanical engineering.