Coherence between multi-instrument and multi-model atmospheric moisture retrievals in the framework of the HyMeX-SOP1

International audienceAn observational effort has been established on Menorca Island to characterize the upwindmarine low-level flow during HyMeX SOP1. The ground-based Water vapour Raman Lidar(WALI), the airborne water vapour lidar LEANDRE-2 and boundary layer pressurizedballoons were implemented during the first Special Observing Period and contributed tocharacterize water vapour variability in the vicinity of the Balearic Islands, together with theexisting network of Global Positioning System receivers. Such an experimental data set is apowerful tool for checking the reliability of numerical forecast and research models. Hence anexercise of inter-comparison was carried out using the AROME-WMED and ECMWF/IFSNWP systems, and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. We assessed theconsistency of water vapour mixing ratio (WVMR) profiles and integrated water vapourcontents (IWVC) derived from the different data sets. We use consistency indicators such asroot mean square errors, biases and correlations. Comparison between WVMR profiles fromground-based and airborne lidars (ground-based lidar and boundary layer pressurizedballoons) leads to a root mean square error lower than 1.6 g kg-1 (1.3 g kg-1) when the sameair masses are sampled. We observed a good agreement between the vertical WVMR profilesderived from WALI and the numerical models with correlations higher than 0.7 and rootmean square errors lower than 2 g kg-1. Regarding IWVCs, the models exhibit biases lessthan 2 kg m-2, root mean square errors lower than 2.3 g kg-1 and correlations higher than0.86 when compared to WALI