Recent Advances in Predictability Studies in China （1999-2002）

Since the last International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly (1999), the predictability studies in China have made further progress during the period of 1999-2002. Firstly, three predictability sub-problems in numerical weather and climate prediction are classified, which are concerned with the maximum predictability time, the maximum prediction error, and the maximum allowable initial error, and then they are reduced into three nonlinear optimization problems. Secondly, the concepts of the nonlinear singular vector (NSV) and conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) are proposed,which have been utilized to study the predictability of numerical weather and climate prediction. The results suggest that the nonlinear characteristics of the motions of atmosphere and oceans can be revealedby NSV and CNOP. Thirdly, attention has also been paid to the relations between the predictability and spatial-temporal scale, and between the model predictability and the machine precision, of which the investigations disclose the importance of the spatial-temporal scale and machine precision in the study of predictability. Also the cell-to-cell mapping is adopted to analyze globally the predictability of climate,which could provide a new subject to the research workers. Furthermore, the predictability of the summer rainfall in China is investigated by using the method of correlation coefficients. The results demonstrate that the predictability of summer rainfall is different in different areas of China. Analysis of variance, which is one of the statistical methods applicable to the study of predictability, is also used to study the potential predictability of monthly mean temperature in China, of which the conclusion is that the monthly mean temperature over China is potentially predictable at a statistical significance level of 0.10. In addition,in the analysis of the predictability of the T106 objective analysis/forecasting field, the variance and the correlation coefficient are calculated to explore the distribution characteristics of the mean-square errors.Finally, the predictability of short-term climate prediction is investigated by using statistical methods or numerical simulation methods. It is demonstrated that the predictability of short-term climate in China depends not only on the region of China being investigated, but also on the time scale and the atmospheric internal dynamical process.     

Ensemble Forecast： A New Approach to Uncertainty and Predictability

Ensemble techniques have been used to generate daily numerical weather forecasts since the 1990s in numerical centers around the world due to the increase in computation ability. One of the main purposes of numerical ensemble forecasts is to try to assimilate the initial uncertainty （initial error） and the forecast uncertainty （forecast error） by applying either the initial perturbation method or the multi-model/multiphysics method. In fact, the mean of an ensemble forecast offers a better forecast than a deterministic （or control） forecast after a short lead time （3-5 days） for global modelling applications. There is about a 1-2-day improvement in the forecast skill when using an ensemble mean instead of a single forecast for longer lead-time. The skillful forecast （65% and above of an anomaly correlation） could be extended to 8 days （or longer） by present-day ensemble forecast systems. Furthermore, ensemble forecasts can deliver a probabilistic forecast to the users, which is based on the probability density function （PDF） instead of a single-value forecast from a traditional deterministic system. It has long been recognized that the ensemble forecast not only improves our weather forecast predictability but also offers a remarkable forecast for the future uncertainty, such as the relative measure of predictability （RMOP） and probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast （PQPF）. Not surprisingly, the success of the ensemble forecast and its wide application greatly increase the confidence of model developers and research communities.     

Heavy Rainfall Ensemble Prediction： Initial Condition Perturbation vs Multi-Physics Perturbation

Mesoscale ensemble is an encouraging technology for improving the accuracy of heavy rainfall predictions. Occurrences of heavy rainfall are closely related to convective instability and topography. In mid-latitudes, perturbed initial fields for medium-range weather forecasts are often configured to focus on the baroclinic instability rather than the convective instability. Thus, alternative approaches to generate initial perturba- tions need to be developed to accommodate the uncertainty of the convective instability. In this paper, an initial condition perturbation approach to mesoscale heavy rainfall ensemble prediction, named as Different Physics Mode Method （DPMM）, is presented in detail. Based on the PSU/NCAR mesoscale model MM5, an ensemble prediction experiment on a typical heavy rainfall event in South China is carried out by using the DPMM, and the structure of the initial condition perturbation is analyzed. Further, the DPMM ensem- ble prediction is compared with a multi-physics ensemble prediction, and the results show that the initial perturbation fields from the DPMM have a reasonable mesoscale circulation structure and could reflect the prediction uncertainty in the sensitive regions of convective instability. An evaluation of the DPMM ini- tial condition perturbation indicates that the DPMM method produces better ensemble members than the multi-physics perturbation method, and can significantly improve the precipitation forecast than the control non-ensemble run.     

Recent Advances in China on the Predictability of Weather and Climate

This article summarizes the progress made in predictability studies of weather and climate in recent years in China, with a main focus on advances in methods to study error growth dynamics and reduce uncertainties in the forecasting of weather and climate. Specifically, it covers(a) advances in methods to study weather and climate predictability dynamics, especially those in nonlinear optimal perturbation methods associated with initial errors and model errors and their applications to ensemble ...     

Impacts of Initial Conditions on Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

Impacts of initial conditions on cloud-resolving model simulations are investigated using a series of sensitivity experiments. Five experiments with perturbed initial temperature, moisture, and cloud conditions are conducted and compared to the control experiment. The model is forced by the large-scale vertical velocity and zonal wind observed and derived from NCEP/Global Data Assimilation System （GDAS）. The results indicate that model predictions of rainfall are much more sensitive to the initial conditions than those of temperature and moisture. Further analyses of the surface rainfall equation and the moisture and cloud hydrometeor budgets reveal that the calculations of vapor condensation and deposition rates in the model account for the large sensitivities in rainfall simulations.     

Applications of conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation in predictability study and sensitivity analysis of weather and climate

Considering the limitation of the linear theory of singular vector (SV), the authors and their collaborators proposed conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) and then applied it in the predictability study and the sensitivity analysis of weather and climate system. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Chinese National Committee for World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), this paper is devoted to reviewing the main results of these studies. First, CNOP represents the initial perturbation that has largest nonlinear evolution at prediction time, which is different from linear singular vector (LSV) for the large magnitude of initial perturbation or/and the long optimization time interval. Second, CNOP, rather than linear singular vector (LSV), represents the initial anomaly that evolves into ENSO events most probably. It is also the CNOP that induces the most prominent seasonal variation of error growth for ENSO predictability; furthermore, CNOP was applied to investigate the decadal variability of ENSO asymmetry. It is demonstrated that the changing nonlinearity causes the change of ENSO asymmetry. Third, in the studies of the sensitivity and stability of ocean’s thermohaline circulation (THC), the nonlinear asymmetric response of THC to finite amplitude of initial perturbations was revealed by CNOP. Through this approach the passive mechanism of decadal variation of THC was demonstrated; Also the authors studies the instability and sensitivity analysis of grassland ecosystem by using CNOP and show the mechanism of the transitions between the grassland and desert states. Finally, a detailed discussion on the results obtained by CNOP suggests the applicability of CNOP in predictability studies and sensitivity analysis.     

Variational data assimilation experiments of mei-yu front rainstorms in China

The numerical forecasts of mei-yu front rainstorms in China has been an important issue. The intensity and pattern of the frontal rainfall are greatly influenced by the initial fields of the numerical model. The 4-dimensional variational data assimilation technology (4DVAR) can effectively assimilate all kinds of observed data, including rainfall data at the observed stations, so that the initial fields and the precipitation forecast can both be greatly improved. The non-hydrostatic meso-scale model (MM5) and its adjoint model are used to study the development of the mei-yu front rainstorm from 1200 UTC 25 June to 0600 UTC 26 June 1999. By numerical simulation experiments and assimilation experiments, the T106 data and the observed 6-hour rainfall data are assimilated. The influences of many factors, such as the choice of the assimilated variables and the weighting coefficient, on the precipitation forecast results are studied. The numerical results show that 4DVAR is valuable and important to mei-yu front rainfall prediction.     

IMPROVEMENT OF OCEAN DATA ASSIMILATION SYSTEM AND CLIMATE PREDICTION BY ASSIMILATING ARGO DATA

The Argo(Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography) data from 1998 to 2003 were used in the Beijing Climate Center-Global Ocean Data Assimilation System(BCC-GODAS). The results show that the utilization of Argo global ocean data in BCC-GODAS brings about remarkable improvements in assimilation effects. The assimilated sea surface temperature(SST) of BCC-GODAS can well represent the climatological states of observational data. Comparison experiments based on a global coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model(AOCGM) were conducted for exploring the roles of ocean data assimilation system with or without Argo data in improving the climate predictability of rainfall in boreal summer. Firstly, the global ocean data assimilation system BCC-GODAS was used to obtain ocean assimilation data under the conditions with or without Argo data. Then, the global coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model(AOCGM) was utilized to do hindcast experiments with the two sets of the assimilation data as initial oceanic fields. The simulated results demonstrate that the seasonal predictability of rainfall in boreal summer, particularly in China, increases greatly when initial oceanic conditions with Argo data are utilized. The distribution of summer rainfall in China hindcast by the AOGCM under the condition when Argo data are used is more in accordance with observation than that when no Agro data are used. The area of positive correlation between hindcast and observation enlarges and the hindcast skill of rainfall over China in summer improves significantly when Argo data are used.     

An Algorithm on Convective Weather Potential in the Early Rainy Season over the Pearl River Delta in China

This paper describes the procedure and methodology to formulate the convective weather potential （CWP） algorithm. The data used in the development of the algorithm are the radar echoes at 0.5° elevation from Guangzhou Doppler Radar Station, surface observations from automatic weather stations （AWS） and outputs of numeric weather prediction （NWP） models. The procedure to develop the CWP algorithm consists of two steps： （1） identification of thunderstorm cells in accordance with specified statistical criteria; and （2） development of the algorithm based on multiple linear regression. The thunderstorm cells were automatically identified by radar echoes with intensity greater than or equal to 50 dB（Z） and of an area over 64 square kilometers. These cells are generally related to severe convective weather occurrences such as thunderstorm wind gusts, hail and tornados. In the development of the CWP algorithm, both echo- and environment-based predictors are used. The predictand is the probability of a thunderstorm cell to generate severe convective weather events. The predictor-predictand relationship is established through a stepwise multiple linear regression approach. Verification with an independent dataset shows that the CWP algorithm is skillful in detecting thunderstorm-related severe convective weather occurrences in the Pearl River Delta （PRD） region of South China. An example of a nowcasting case for a thunderstorm process is illustrated.     

Relationships between the Limit of Predictability and Initial Error in the Uncoupled and Coupled Lorenz Models

In this study, the relationship between the limit of predictability and initial error was investigated using two simple chaotic systems:the Lorenz model, which possesses a single characteristic time scale, and the coupled Lorenz model, which possesses two different characteristic time scales. The limit of predictability is defined here as the time at which the error reaches 95% of its saturation level; nonlinear behaviors of the error growth are therefore involved in the definition of the limit of predictability. Our results show that the logarithmic function performs well in describing the relationship between the limit of predictability and initial error in both models, although the coefficients in the logarithmic function were not constant across the examined range of initial errors. Compared with the Lorenz model, in the coupled Lorenz model-in which the slow dynamics and the fast dynamics interact with each other-there is a more complex relationship between the limit of predictability and initial error. The limit of predictability of the Lorenz model is unbounded as the initial error becomes infinitesimally small; therefore, the limit of predictability of the Lorenz model may be extended by reducing the amplitude of the initial error. In contrast, if there exists a fixed initial error in the fast dynamics of the coupled Lorenz model, the slow dynamics has an intrinsic finite limit of predictability that cannot be extended by reducing the amplitude of the initial error in the slow dynamics, and vice versa. The findings reported here reveal the possible existence of an intrinsic finite limit of predictability in a coupled system that possesses many scales of time or motion.     

数值天气预报和气候预测可预报性研究的若干动力学方法

简要回顾了数值天气预报和气候预测可预报性研究的若干动力学方法,包括用于研究第一类可预报性问题的线性奇异向量（LSV）和条件非线性最优初始扰动（CNOP-I）方法,以及Lyapunov指数和非线性局部Lyapunov指数方法。前两种方法用于研究预报或预测的预报误差问题,可以用于估计天气预报和气候预测的最大预报误差,而且根据导致最大预报误差的初始误差结构的信息,这两种方法可以用于确定预报或预测的初值敏感区。应该指出的是,LSV是基于线性化模式,对于描述非线性大气和海洋的运动具有局限性。因而,对于非线性模式,应该选择使用CNOP-I估计最大预报误差。Lyapunov指数和非线性局部Lyapunov指数可以用于研究第一类可预报性问题中的预报时限问题,前者是基于线性模式,不能解释非线性对预报时限的影响,而非线性局部Lyapunov指数方法则考虑了非线性的影响,能够较好地估计实际天气和气候的预报时限。第二类可预报性问题的研究方法相对较少,本文仅介绍了由我国科学家提出的关于模式参数扰动的条件非线性最优参数扰动（CNOP-P）方法,该方法可以用于寻找到对预报有最大影响的参数扰动,并可以进一步确定哪些参数最应该利用观测资料进行校准。另一方面,通过对比CNOP-I和CNOP-P对预报误差的影响,可以判断导致预报不确定性的主要误差因子,进而指导人们着力改进模式或者初始场。     

梅雨期暴雨系统的流依赖中尺度可预报性

中尺度天气系统的初值敏感性,导致了中尺度系统预报极限的存在.中尺度系统的初始误差的快速增长及其中尺度可预报性依赖于系统流的特征.梅雨暴雨形成是多尺度天气系统共同作用的结果,决定了梅雨期暴雨的形成机制的多样性,也决定了其初值敏感性的差异性.本文重点对比分析了五种不同类型的梅雨暴雨的误差增长特征及其机制.冷空气抬升、低层涡...     

SVD-En3DVar方法同化多普勒雷达速度观测资料 I. 模拟资料试验

利用WRF模式及模式模拟的资料,开展了利用SVD-En3DVar(基于集合和SVD技术的三维变分同化方法)方法同化雷达径向速度资料的试验.由于雷达观测经常出现大面积空缺,同化时引入了一种局地化方法避免远距离虚假相关的影响.试验着重研究了不同的初始扰动样本产生方法以及不同的样本积分时间对同化结果的影响.提出了一种为预报集...     

深对流系统中初始误差增长和传播的热动力机制

利用WRF模式模拟一个典型的超级单体风暴,揭示了深对流系统中初始误差增长和传播的热动力机制,讨论了系统的高度非线性作用和可预报性等问题。结果表明:影响深对流系统发展强度的不稳定能量和潜热释放是影响误差增长和空间分布的主要因素;误差增长主要集中在对流区,对流区域外的初始扰动有向对流区域传播的趋势,并可在对流区域内迅速增长。随着对流系统的强烈发展,量级为O(10^-2)的初始扰动在210 min时即可达到量级O(10⁰),反映了系统高度的非线性作用和单一确定性预报显著的局限性。另外还发现,初始扰动对的相关性迅速增加,这将导致集合离散度偏低,给集合预报捕获极端天气的能力设置了障碍。误差的传播主要以声波和重力波两种波动形式传播。声波主要表现在积分初期,能量较小。重力波则能够在对流系统以外的区域激发新的对流中心(目前这种误差是不可预报的),进而限制了系统的可预报性。     

近二十年来暴雨和强对流可预报性研究进展

大气可预报性研究是开展天气、气候预测的基础科学问题。全球变暖背景下,近年暴雨和强对流等中小尺度灾害性天气频发,如何深入认识其可预报性问题成为了天气领域研究热点,也是制约数值天气预报模式能力提升的重要因素。本文在简要回顾国内外大气可预报性研究历程的基础上,重点对近二十年（1999～2018）国际上关于暴雨和强对流可预报性方面的最新研究进展进行了系统的综述和归纳。主要包括:中小尺度可预报性研究的主要方法和评估手段及其与传统大尺度天气可预报性研究的差异,初始误差增长机制的几种主要观点及其争论（误差升尺度、误差降尺度、升降尺度并存）,数值模式误差和对流环境误差对实际预报性的影响,以及最近的中尺度可预报性科学观测试验进展等。最后,对暴雨、强对流可预报性研究存在的问题、未来发展方向进行了简要的讨论和展望。     

位移和最大相关距离在ECMWF集合预报产品中的应用

文章提出了一种对集合预报产品进行自动划分的新方法, 即位移和最大相关距离。 其基本假定是集合预报成员在一定程度上代表了未来可能发生的某类天气形势, 为此引入了天气类型的概念, 并以法国中期预报员总结出的影响法国的 5 类天气形势为基础, 对欧洲中期天气预报中心(以下简称 ECM WF)的集合预报产品进行了划分。结果表明, 大气的可预报性与预报时效、预报的天气有关。 该文提出的新方法简洁直观, 便于使用, 在天气类型和实际天气之间建立了最直接的联系, 大大压缩了集合预报产品的信息量。 ECM WF 的集合预报产品对影响法国的平直型、热阻塞型、冷阻塞型、扰动型等天气形势预报效果比较好, 而对波动型则效果稍差。     

Progress in the Study of Nonlinear Atmospheric Dynamics and Predictability of Weather and Climate in China (2007--2011)

Recent progress in the study of nonlinear atmospheric dynamics and related predictability of weather and climate in China (2007-2011) are briefly introduced in this article. Major achievements in the study of nonlinear atmospheric dynamics have been classified into two types:(1) progress based on the analysis of solutions of simplified control equations, such as the dynamics of NAO, the optimal precursors for blocking onset, and the behavior of nonlinear waves, and (2) progress based on data analyses, such as the nonlinear analyses of fluctuations and recording-breaking temperature events, the long-range correlation of extreme events, and new methods of detecting abrupt dynamical change. Major achievements in the study of predictability include the following:(1) the application of nonlinear local Lyapunov exponents (NLLE) to weather and climate predictability; (2) the application of condition nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) to the studies of El Nin o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) predictions, ensemble forecasting, targeted observation, and sensitivity analysis of the ecosystem; and (3) new strategies proposed for predictability studies. The results of these studies have provided greater understanding of the dynamics and nonlinear mechanisms of atmospheric motion, and they represent new ideas for developing numerical models and improving the forecast skill of weather and climate events.     

区域集合预报扰动方法研究进展综述

集合预报方法是解决单一数值预报不确定性问题的有效手段,而针对强天气预报的中尺度区域集合预报技术已逐渐受到国内外的重视。对于区域集合预报而言,由于其不确定性来源较为复杂,如何发展有效的扰动方法是研究的热点和难点。本文根据国内外区域集合预报的研究进展,从初值扰动、模式扰动以及侧边界扰动三个方面进行了总结和回顾,并对扰动方法的发展趋势进行了介绍。对于初值扰动,较为主流的方法有动力降尺度,沿用传统的由全球集合扰动方法发展而来的技术为区域集合产生初值,以及专门为区域集合设计的扰动方法。鉴于这些方法各有利弊,目前对于初值扰动方法的研究已经开始发展充分包含大尺度和小尺度不确定性信息的混合扰动方法。区域集合预报模式扰动的研究以物理过程扰动为主,典型方法为多物理过程组合以及随机物理过程扰动,其中多物理过程组合方法简单有效,而随机物理过程扰动方法的物理意义更为明确,是物理过程扰动的趋势。通过多模式组合进行模式扰动的方法也开展了一些相关研究,且对于台风等强天气预报均显示出相对于单模式集合较好的效果。侧边界扰动的主流方法是由大尺度集合预报场来为区域集合提供不同的侧边界,研究结果表明此种侧边界扰动方法简便易行,且有助于提高区域集合预报较长预报时效离散度和预报技巧。