FLEXPART Lagrangian Model
Description
FLEXPART is a state-of-the-art Lagrangian particle dispersion model (Kristiansen et al., 2014; Pisso et al., 2019; Stohl et al., 2011) widely used for simulating the atmospheric transport and deposition of aerosols and trace gases, including volcanic ash.
Within GOBEYOND, FLEXPART is used to estimate ash plume concentrations by combining meteorological fields meteorological from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecast System (IFS) or data from the United States National Centers of Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS), with dynamically or inversely derived volcanic emission source terms. The model supports forward and backward simulations, ensemble configurations, and quantitative uncertainty analysis.
The National Observatory of Athens (NOA) has extended FLEXPART with advanced emission inversion techniques using ACTRIS ground-based and satellite lidar observations, significantly improving ash source characterization, volcanic ash emission estimations and early warning capabilities for aviation and civil protection applications (Amiridis et al., 2023; Kampouri et al., 2020, 2025).
Technical Information
Main hazard addressed:
Volcanic Eruptions
Other related hazards:
Air Quality, Ash Fall
IP Ownership:
Provided for operational and research use under agreement with the National Observatory of Athens (ΝΟΑ)
Development Stage:
TRL 9: Actual system proven in operational environment
Image illustrating the methodology.
Example of a FLEXPART dispersion map output.
Products using this model
- Volcanic Ash Plume Concentrations and DispersionView Product
References
Amiridis, V., Kampouri, A., Gkikas, A., Misios, S., Gialitaki, A., Marinou, E., Rennie, M., Benedetti, A., Solomos, S., Zanis, P., Vasardani, O., Eleftheratos, K., Paschou, P., Georgiou, T., Scollo, S., Mona, L., Papagiannopoulos, N., Retscher, C., Parrinello, T., and Straume, A. G.: Aeolus winds impact on volcanic ash early warning systems for aviation, Sci. Rep., 13, 7531, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34715-6, 2023.
Kampouri, A., Amiridis, V., Solomos, S., Gialitaki, A., Marinou, E., Spyrou, C., Georgoulias, A. K., Akritidis, D., Papagiannopoulos, N., Mona, L., Scollo, S., Tsichla, M., Tsikoudi, I., Pytharoulis, I., Karacostas, T., and Zanis, P.: Investigation of Volcanic Emissions in the Mediterranean: “The Etna–Antikythera Connection,” Atmosphere, 12, 40, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12010040, 2020.
Kampouri, A., Amiridis, V., Georgiou, T., Solomos, S., Gialitaki, A., Tsichla, M., Rennie, M., Scollo, S., and Zanis, P.: Volcanic emission estimates from the inversion of ACTRIS lidar observations and their use for quantitative dispersion modeling, Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 25, 7343–7368, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7343-2025, 2025.
Kristiansen, N. I., Arnold, D., and Stohl, A.: Procedures for volcano inversions using FLEXPART, 2014.
Pisso, I., Sollum, E., Grythe, H., Kristiansen, N. I., Cassiani, M., Eckhardt, S., Arnold, D., Morton, D., Thompson, R. L., Groot Zwaaftink, C. D., Evangeliou, N., Sodemann, H., Haimberger, L., Henne, S., Brunner, D., Burkhart, J. F., Fouilloux, A., Brioude, J., Philipp, A., Seibert, P., and Stohl, A.: The Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART version 10.4, Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 4955–4997, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-4955-2019, 2019.
Stohl, A., Prata, A. J., Eckhardt, S., Clarisse, L., Durant, A., Henne, S., Kristiansen, N. I., Minikin, A., Schumann, U., Seibert, P., Stebel, K., Thomas, H. E., Thorsteinsson, T., Tørseth, K., and Weinzierl, B.: Determination of time- and height-resolved volcanic ash emissions and their use for quantitative ash dispersion modeling: the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 11, 4333–4351, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-4333-2011, 2011.