A generic model interface for the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM)

The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a fast, multi-layer column radiative transfer model used in numerical weather prediction, calibration, and validations across multiple federal agencies and universities. The accuracy of the CRTM largely relies on the model's physical assumptions on surface emissivities, aerosol and cloud optical properties, transmittance and spectral coefficients, which are pre-computed and stored in multiple coefficient look-up tables (LUTs) to ensure operational efficiency.

While CRTM excels in traditional sensor-oriented cases and scenarios that align with currently available physical assumptions, it becomes less convenient for simulations involving applications beyond. To facilitate this process and make CRTM simulations more accessible for broader applications, this presentation introduces the newly developed generic model interface in CRTM. We will demonstrate how to set up CRTM simulations adopting the generic interface and user-defined atmospheric profile properties, and introduce supporting packages required for necessary pre-treatment. This new feature will be released as an optional interface in CRTM version 3.2 or later with no impact to the traditional CRTM model interface.