Flex_extract v7.1 – A software package to retrieve and prepare ECMWF data for use in FLEXPART Anne Philipp1,2, Leopold Haimberger2, and Petra Seibert3 1Aerosol Physics & Environmental Physics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 2Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 3Institute of Meteorology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria Correspondence: Anne Philipp (
[email protected]) Abstract. Flex_extract is an open-source software package to efficiently retrieve and prepare meteorological data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) as input for the widely-used Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART and the related trajectory model FLEXTRA. ECMWF provides a variety of data sets which differ in a number of parameters (available fields, spatial and temporal resolution, forecast start times, level types etc.). Therefore, the 5 selection of the right data for a specific application and the settings needed to obtain them are not trivial. Consequently, the data sets which can be retrieved through flex_extract by both authorised member-state users and public users as well as their properties are explained. Flex_extract 7.1 is a substantially revised version with completely restructured code, mainly written in Python3, which is introduced with all its input and output files and an explanation of the four application modes. Software dependencies and the methods for calculating the native vertical velocity η_, the handling of flux data and the preparation of 10 the final FLEXPART input files are documented. Considerations for applications give guidance with respect to the selection of data sets, caveats related to the land-sea mask and orography, etc.