Impact of the Initial Conditions from an Atmospheric Model on a Wave Forecast System

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (sp1) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Choi ◽  
Ki-Young Heo
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 717-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyue Chen ◽  
Wanqiu Wang ◽  
Arun Kumar

Abstract Using the retrospective forecasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) coupled atmosphere–ocean Climate Forecast System (CFS) and the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulations from its uncoupled atmospheric component, the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS), the relative roles of atmospheric and land initial conditions and the lower boundary condition of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) for the prediction of monthly-mean temperature are investigated. The analysis focuses on the lead-time dependence of monthly-mean prediction skill and its asymptotic value for longer lead times, which could be attributed the atmospheric response to the slowly varying SST. The results show that the observed atmospheric and land initial conditions improve the skill of monthly-mean prediction in the extratropics but have little influence in the tropics. However, the influence of initial atmospheric and land conditions in the extratropics decays rapidly. For 30-day-lead predictions, the global-mean forecast skill of monthly means is found to reach an asymptotic value that is primarily determined by the SST anomalies. The lead time at which initial conditions lose their influence varies spatially. In addition, the initial atmospheric and land conditions are found to have longer impacts in northern winter and spring than in summer and fall. The relevance of the results for constructing lagged ensemble forecasts is discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 997-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Émilie Bresson ◽  
Philippe Arbogast ◽  
Lotfi Aouf ◽  
Denis Paradis ◽  
Anna Kortcheva ◽  
...  

Abstract. Winds, waves and storm surges can inflict severe damage in coastal areas. In order to improve preparedness for such events, a better understanding of storm-induced coastal flooding episodes is necessary. To this end, this paper highlights the use of atmospheric downscaling techniques in order to improve wave and storm surge hindcasts. The downscaling techniques used here are based on existing European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalyses (ERA-20C, ERA-40 and ERA-Interim). The results show that the 10 km resolution data forcing provided by a downscaled atmospheric model gives a better wave and surge hindcast compared to using data directly from the reanalysis. Furthermore, the analysis of the most extreme mid-latitude cyclones indicates that a four-dimensional blending approach improves the whole process, as it assimilates more small-scale processes in the initial conditions. Our approach has been successfully applied to ERA-20C (the 20th century reanalysis).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Xue ◽  
Dorothy Koch ◽  
Vijay Tallapragada ◽  
Avichal Mehra ◽  
Fanglin Yang ◽  
...  

<p>The Unified Forecast System (UFS) is a community-based coupled Earth modeling system, designed to support the Weather Enterprise and also be the source system for NOAA’s operations. NOAA’s Unified Forecast System Research to Operations Project (UFS-R2O) aims to develop the next generation coupled Global Forecast System (GFS v17)/Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS v13) targeting operational implementation in FY24. The Project is part of the larger UFS community and includes scientists from NOAA Labs and Centers, NCAR, UCAR, NRL and several U.S. universities.</p><p>The UFS is targeted to be a six-way coupled Earth prediction system, consisting of the FV3 dynamical core with the Common Community Physics Package (CCPP) for the atmosphere,  MOM6 for the ocean, CICE6 for the sea ice, WW3 for ocean waves, Noah-MP for the land surface and GOCART for aerosols.  Currently, four of the six model components have been coupled using the Community Mediator for Earth Prediction Systems (CMEPS). All the components of the coupled system will be initialized with a weakly coupled data assimilation system based on the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI) framework. A 30-year coupled reanalysis and reforecast will be conducted for model calibration and post-processing forecast products. The UFS is the basis for the future updates of the deterministic GFS medium-range weather forecast up to 16 days, the ensemble GEFS subseasonal forecast up to 45 days, and the seasonal forecasts up to one year using the new Seasonal Forecast System (SFS) planned to replace the operational Climate Forecast System (CFSv2).</p><p>Several prototypes of a four-way coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice-wave model have been built and tested with a C384 horizontal grid (~25km) and 64 vertical levels for the atmospheric model, and a ¼ degree tripolar grid for the ocean and ice model components. The presentation will highlight the results of these prototype runs. The UFS-R2O Project has made the latest UFS prototype (S2Sp5) output available on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Researchers interested in the S2S prediction and model development are invited to evaluate the UFS S2Sp5 data. Analysis of the data may include process-based evaluations, diagnostic measures that reveal coupled feedback processes, model biases and S2S forecast skill estimations. To identify and prioritize key metrics in evaluating the UFS applications, the UFS-R2O Project is soliciting community inputs through a online survey and UFS Evaluation Metric Workshop in Feb 2021. The metrics will be incorporated into the METplus verification tools for both research and operation. </p><p>A few more prototypes are planned beyond S2Sp5 which include increasing the vertical resolution of the atmospheric model to 127 vertical levels, the transition of land model from Noah to Noah-MP, inclusion of aerosol component, advanced physics suites as well as stochastic physics parameterizations to account for uncertainties in each model component. Coarser and higher resolution configurations along with coupled ensemble prototypes are also being built in order to evaluate the resolution-dependence of forecast biases and to assess the benefit vs cost of higher resolution. The development code is available on Github, and the UFS community contributes to the development through a R2O process.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (7) ◽  
pp. 2645-2669
Author(s):  
Craig S. Schwartz ◽  
May Wong ◽  
Glen S. Romine ◽  
Ryan A. Sobash ◽  
Kathryn R. Fossell

Abstract Five sets of 48-h, 10-member, convection-allowing ensemble (CAE) forecasts with 3-km horizontal grid spacing were systematically evaluated over the conterminous United States with a focus on precipitation across 31 cases. The various CAEs solely differed by their initial condition perturbations (ICPs) and central initial states. CAEs initially centered about deterministic Global Forecast System (GFS) analyses were unequivocally better than those initially centered about ensemble mean analyses produced by a limited-area single-physics, single-dynamics 15-km continuously cycling ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), strongly suggesting relative superiority of the GFS analyses. Additionally, CAEs with flow-dependent ICPs derived from either the EnKF or multimodel 3-h forecasts from the Short-Range Ensemble Forecast (SREF) system had higher fractions skill scores than CAEs with randomly generated mesoscale ICPs. Conversely, due to insufficient spread, CAEs with EnKF ICPs had worse reliability, discrimination, and dispersion than those with random and SREF ICPs. However, members in the CAE with SREF ICPs undesirably clustered by dynamic core represented in the ICPs, and CAEs with random ICPs had poor spinup characteristics. Collectively, these results indicate that continuously cycled EnKF mean analyses were suboptimal for CAE initialization purposes and suggest that further work to improve limited-area continuously cycling EnKFs over large regional domains is warranted. Additionally, the deleterious aspects of using both multimodel and random ICPs suggest efforts toward improving spread in CAEs with single-physics, single-dynamics, flow-dependent ICPs should continue.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2965-2979 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Bertotti ◽  
P. Canestrelli ◽  
L. Cavaleri ◽  
F. Pastore ◽  
L. Zampato

Abstract. We describe the Henetus wave forecast system in the Adriatic Sea. Operational since 1996, the system is continuously upgraded, especially through the correction of the input ECMWF wind fields. As these fields are of progressively improved quality with the increasing resolution of the meteorological model, the correction needs to be correspondingly updated. This ensures a practically constant quality of the Henetus results in the Adriatic Sea since 1996. After suitable and extended validation of the quality of the results at different forecast ranges, the operational range has been recently extended to five days. The Henetus results are used also to improve the tidal forecast on the Venetian coasts and the Venice lagoon, particularly during the most severe events. Extensive statistics on the model performance are provided, both as analysis and forecast, by comparing the model results versus both satellite and buoy data.


2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (11) ◽  
pp. 4660-4677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Penny ◽  
David W. Behringer ◽  
James A. Carton ◽  
Eugenia Kalnay

Abstract Seasonal forecasting with a coupled model requires accurate initial conditions for the ocean. A hybrid data assimilation has been implemented within the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS) as a future replacement of the operational three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVar) method. This Hybrid-GODAS provides improved representation of model uncertainties by using a combination of dynamic and static background error covariances, and by using an ensemble forced by different realizations of atmospheric surface conditions. An observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) is presented spanning January 1991 to January 1999, with a bias imposed on the surface forcing conditions to emulate an imperfect model. The OSSE compares the 3DVar used by the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) with the new hybrid, using simulated in situ ocean observations corresponding to those used for the NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). The Hybrid-GODAS reduces errors for all prognostic model variables over the majority of the experiment duration, both globally and regionally. Compared to an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) used alone, the hybrid further reduces errors in the tropical Pacific. The hybrid eliminates growth in biases of temperature and salinity present in the EnKF and 3DVar, respectively. A preliminary reanalysis using real data shows that reductions in errors and biases are qualitatively similar to the results from the OSSE. The Hybrid-GODAS is currently being implemented as the ocean component in a prototype next-generation CFSv3, and will be used in studies by the Climate Prediction Center to evaluate impacts on ENSO prediction.


2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1006-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang-Ching Chien ◽  
Yi-Chin Liu ◽  
Ben Jong-Dao Jou

Abstract This paper presents an evaluation study of a real-time fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) mesoscale ensemble prediction system in the Taiwan area during the 2003 mei-yu season. The ensemble system consists of 16 members that used the same nested domains of 45- and 15-km resolutions, but different model settings of the initial conditions (ICs), the cumulus parameterization scheme (CPS), and the microphysics scheme (MS). Verification of geopotential height, temperature, relative humidity, and winds in the 15-km grid shows that the members using the Kain–Fritsch CPS performed better than those using the Grell CPS, and those using the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) Nonhydrostatic Forecast System (NFS) ICs fared better than those using the CWB Global Forecast System (GFS) ICs. The members applying the mixed-phase MS generally exhibited the smallest errors among the four MSs. Precipitation verification shows that the members using the Grell CPS, in general, had higher equitable threat scores (ETSs) than those using the Kain–Fritsch CPS, that the members with the GFS ICs performed better than with the NFS ICs, and that the mixed-phase and Goddard MSs gave relatively high ETSs in the rainfall simulation. The bias scores show that, overall, all 16 members underforecasted rainfall. Comparisons of the ensemble means show that, on average, an ensemble mean, no matter how many members it contains, can produce better forecasts than an individual member. Among the three possible elements (IC, CPS, and MS) that can be varied to compose an ensemble, the ensemble that contains members with all three elements varying performed the best, while that with two elements varying was second best, and that with only one varying was the worst. Furthermore, the first choice for composing an ensemble is to use perturbed ICs, followed by the perturbed CPS, and then the perturbed MS.


2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (6) ◽  
pp. 1742-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Thatcher ◽  
John L. McGregor

Abstract This article examines dynamical downscaling with a scale-selective filter in the Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM). In this study, 1D and 2D scale-selective filters have been implemented using a convolution-based scheme, since a convolution can be readily evaluated in terms of CCAM’s native conformal cubic coordinates. The downscaling accuracy of 1D and 2D scale-selective filters is evaluated after downscaling NCEP Global Forecast System analyses for 2006 from 200-km resolution to 60-km resolution over Australia. The 1D scale-selective filter scheme was found to downscale the analyses with similar accuracy to a 2D filter but required significantly fewer computations. The 1D and 2D scale-selective filters were also found to downscale the analyses more accurately than a far-field nudging scheme (i.e., analogous to a boundary-value nudging approach). It is concluded that when the model is required to reproduce the host model behavior above a specified length scale then the use of an appropriately designed 1D scale-selective filter can be a computationally efficient approach to dynamical downscaling for models having a cube-based geometry.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 953
Author(s):  
Nipun Gunawardena ◽  
Giuliana Pallotta ◽  
Matthew Simpson ◽  
Donald D. Lucas

In the event of an accidental or intentional hazardous material release in the atmosphere, researchers often run physics-based atmospheric transport and dispersion models to predict the extent and variation of the contaminant spread. These predictions are imperfect due to propagated uncertainty from atmospheric model physics (or parameterizations) and weather data initial conditions. Ensembles of simulations can be used to estimate uncertainty, but running large ensembles is often very time consuming and resource intensive, even using large supercomputers. In this paper, we present a machine-learning-based method which can be used to quickly emulate spatial deposition patterns from a multi-physics ensemble of dispersion simulations. We use a hybrid linear and logistic regression method that can predict deposition in more than 100,000 grid cells with as few as fifty training examples. Logistic regression provides probabilistic predictions of the presence or absence of hazardous materials, while linear regression predicts the quantity of hazardous materials. The coefficients of the linear regressions also open avenues of exploration regarding interpretability—the presented model can be used to find which physics schemes are most important over different spatial areas. A single regression prediction is on the order of 10,000 times faster than running a weather and dispersion simulation. However, considering the number of weather and dispersion simulations needed to train the regressions, the speed-up achieved when considering the whole ensemble is about 24 times. Ultimately, this work will allow atmospheric researchers to produce potential contamination scenarios with uncertainty estimates faster than previously possible, aiding public servants and first responders.


2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (9) ◽  
pp. 3003-3016 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kumar ◽  
M. Chen ◽  
L. Zhang ◽  
W. Wang ◽  
Y. Xue ◽  
...  

Abstract For long-range predictions (e.g., seasonal), it is a common practice for retrospective forecasts (also referred to as the hindcasts) to accompany real-time predictions. The necessity for the hindcasts stems from the fact that real-time predictions need to be calibrated in an attempt to remove the influence of model biases on the predicted anomalies. A fundamental assumption behind forecast calibration is the long-term stationarity of forecast bias that is derived based on hindcasts. Hindcasts require specification of initial conditions for various components of the prediction system (e.g., ocean, atmosphere) that are generally taken from a long reanalysis. Trends and discontinuities in the reanalysis that are either real or spurious can arise due to several reasons, for example, the changing observing system. If changes in initial conditions were to persist during the forecast, there is a potential for forecast bias to depend over the period it is computed, making calibration even more of a challenging task. In this study such a case is discussed for the recently implemented seasonal prediction system at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFS.v2). Based on the analysis of the CFS.v2 for 1981–2009, it is demonstrated that the characteristics of the forecast bias for sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific had a dramatic change around 1999. Furthermore, change in the SST forecast bias, and its relationship to changes in the ocean reanalysis from which the ocean initial conditions for hindcasts are taken is described. Implications for seasonal and other long-range predictions are discussed.


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