Validation of a WRF-Chem setup aiming aerosol-radiation-cloud interactions studies over the Iberian Peninsula

In an ever-growing demand for solar energy production and technologies, atmospheric aerosols pose a great challenge for solar power suppliers due to their high spatio-temporal variability, their direct influence on the scattering and absorption of the incoming solar radiation, and their role as cloud condensation nuclei, indirectly affecting cloud formation and precipitation. Hence, atmospheric aerosols are a preponderant element of an accurate weather and solar forecasting system. Located in Southwestern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula (IP) represents one of the regions with the highest solar power potential in Europe, but it is frequently affected by forest fires and high-concentration dust episodes with their origin in the major African deserts during the warmer months. In this study, a model setup using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is evaluated during an extreme dust episode that affected the IP in August 2010, aiming to perform aerosol-radiation-cloud interactions studies over the region. Model results, such as particle concentration and aerosol optical properties, are compared against different in-situ observations and remote sensing data from regional air quality stations and from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) to assess the model performance under these kinds of events.