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Dynamical response of equatorial waves in variational data assimilation
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
2004 (English)In: Tellus. Series A, Dynamic meteorology and oceanography, ISSN 0280-6495, E-ISSN 1600-0870, Vol. 56A, no 1, p. 29-46Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In this study we question the relative importance of direct wind measurements in the tropics by investigating limits of four-dimensional variational assimilation (4D-Var) in the tropics when only wind or mass field observations are available. Typically observed equatorial wave motion fields (Kelvin, mixed Rossby-gravity and n= 1 equatorial Rossby waves) are assimilated in a non-linear shallow water model. Perfect observations on the full model grid are utilized and no background error term is used. The results illustrate limits of 4D-Var with only one type of information, in particular mass field information. First, there is a limit of information available through the internal model dynamics. This limit is defined by the length of the assimilation window, in relation to the characteristics of the motion being assimilated. Secondly, there is a limit related to the type of observations used. In all cases of assimilation of wind field data, two or three time instants with observations are sufficient to recover the mass field, independent of the length of the assimilation time window. Assimilation of mass field data, on the other hand, although capable of wind field reconstruction, is much more dependent on the dynamical properties of the assimilated motion system. Assimilating height information is less efficient, and the divergent part of the wind field is always recovered first and more completely than its rotational part.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2004. Vol. 56A, no 1, p. 29-46
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-22779DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0870.2004.00036.xOAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-22779DiVA, id: diva2:189435
Note
Part of urn:nbn:se:su:diva-111Available from: 2004-04-28 Created: 2004-04-28 Last updated: 2022-02-25Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Dynamical aspects of atmospheric data assimilation in the tropics
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Dynamical aspects of atmospheric data assimilation in the tropics
2004 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

A faithful depiction of the tropical atmosphere requires three-dimensional sets of observations. Despite the increasing amount of observations presently available, these will hardly ever encompass the entire atmosphere and, in addition, observations have errors. Additional (background) information will always be required to complete the picture. Valuable added information comes from the physical laws governing the flow, usually mediated via a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. These models are, however, never going to be error-free, why a reliable estimate of their errors poses a real challenge since the whole truth will never be within our grasp.

The present thesis addresses the question of improving the analysis procedures for NWP in the tropics. Improvements are sought by addressing the following issues:

- the efficiency of the internal model adjustment,

- the potential of the reliable background-error information, as compared to observations,

- the impact of a new, space-borne line-of-sight wind measurements, and

- the usefulness of multivariate relationships for data assimilation in the tropics.

Most NWP assimilation schemes are effectively univariate near the equator. In this thesis, a multivariate formulation of the variational data assimilation in the tropics has been developed. The proposed background-error model supports the mass-wind coupling based on convectively-coupled equatorial waves. The resulting assimilation model produces balanced analysis increments and hereby increases the efficiency of all types of observations.

Idealized adjustment and multivariate analysis experiments highlight the importance of direct wind measurements in the tropics. In particular, the presented results confirm the superiority of wind observations compared to mass data, in spite of the exact multivariate relationships available from the background information. The internal model adjustment is also more efficient for wind observations than for mass data.

In accordance with these findings, new satellite wind observations are expected to contribute towards the improvement of NWP and climate modeling in the tropics. Although incomplete, the new wind-field information has the potential to reduce uncertainties in the tropical dynamical fields, if used together with the existing satellite mass-field measurements.

The results obtained by applying the new background-error representation to the tropical short-range forecast errors of a state-of-art NWP model suggest that achieving useful tropical multivariate relationships may be feasible within an operational NWP environment.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Meteorologiska institutionen (MISU), 2004. p. 45
Keywords
tropical data assimilation, variational methods, mass-wind coupling
National Category
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-111 (URN)91-7265-867-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2004-05-19, Nordenskiöldsalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrhenius väg 8 C, Stockholm, 10:00
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2004-04-28 Created: 2004-04-28Bibliographically approved

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