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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • AIRS data impact
  • forecasting skill
  • improving data coverage

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Processes: Data assimilation
  • Atmospheric Processes: Synoptic-scale meteorology
  • Atmospheric Processes: Instruments and techniques

Abstract

Improving forecast skill by assimilation of quality-controlled AIRS temperature retrievals under partially cloudy conditions

O. Reale

Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

J. Susskind

Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

R. Rosenberg

Software Integration and Visualization Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Science Applications International Corporation, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

E. Brin

Software Integration and Visualization Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Science Applications International Corporation, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

E. Liu

Science Applications International Corporation, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

L. P. Riishojgaard

Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, Camp Springs, Maryland, USA

J. Terry

Software Integration and Visualization Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Science Applications International Corporation, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

J. C. Jusem

Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board the Aqua satellite is now recognized as an important contributor towards the improvement of weather forecasts. At this time only a small fraction of the total data produced by AIRS is being used by operational weather systems. In fact, in addition to effects of thinning and quality control, the only AIRS data assimilated are radiance observations of channels unaffected by clouds. Observations in mid-lower tropospheric sounding AIRS channels are assimilated primarily under completely clear-sky conditions, thus imposing a very severe limitation on the horizontal distribution of the AIRS-derived information. In this work it is shown that the ability to derive accurate temperature profiles from AIRS observations in partially cloud-contaminated areas can be utilized to further improve the impact of AIRS observations in a global model and forecasting system. The analyses produced by assimilating AIRS temperature profiles obtained under partial cloud cover result in a substantially colder representation of the northern hemisphere lower midtroposphere at higher latitudes. This temperature difference has a strong impact, through hydrostatic adjustment, in the midtropospheric geopotential heights, which causes a different representation of the polar vortex especially over northeastern Siberia and Alaska. The AIRS-induced anomaly propagates through the model's dynamics producing improved 5-day forecasts.

Received 14 December 2007; accepted 21 March 2008; published 25 April 2008.

Citation: Reale, O., J. Susskind, R. Rosenberg, E. Brin, E. Liu, L. P. Riishojgaard, J. Terry, and J. C. Jusem (2008), Improving forecast skill by assimilation of quality-controlled AIRS temperature retrievals under partially cloudy conditions, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L08809, doi:10.1029/2007GL033002.

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