Assimilation of satellite observations of the atmosphere

Measurements of the atmosphere by satellite were first collected in the 1960s. However, it was not until the mid-1990s that these observations were translated into systematic improvements of numerical weather forecasts. We present here the data and methodology of data assimilation that enabled this achievement. Data assimilation is essentially a filtering processing that exploits the (assumed) known error statistical properties of the observations and of the underlying numerical model in which data are assimilated. It is also a process which corrects the state of the numerical model with physical observations of the real world. This part relies on (assumed) known physical laws to relate meteorological quantities (such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind) to observables. Atmospheric data collected by satellite all come from the interaction of electromagnetic waves with the atmosphere. Satellite data assimilation has greatly supported the progress in numerical weather prediction and holds promises for climate studies, for example via reanalysis.