Analyses and forecasts of a tornadic supercell outbreak using a 3DVAR system ensemble

As part of NOAA’s "Warn-On-Forecast" initiative, a convective-scale data assimilation and prediction system was developed using the WRF-ARW model and ARPS 3DVAR data assimilation technique. The system was then evaluated using retrospective short-range ensemble analyses and probabilistic forecasts of the tornadic supercell outbreak event that occurred on 24 May 2011 in Oklahoma, USA. A 36-member multi-physics ensemble system provided the initial and boundary conditions for a 3-km convective-scale ensemble system. Radial velocity and reflectivity observations from four WSR-88 Ds were assimilated into the ensemble using the ARPS 3DVAR technique. Five data assimilation and forecast experiments were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the system to data assimilation frequencies, in-cloud temperature adjustment schemes, and fixed- and mixed-microphysics ensembles. The results indicated that the experiment with 5-min assimilation frequency quickly built up the storm and produced a more accurate analysis compared with the 10-min assimilation frequency experiment. The predicted vertical vorticity from the moist-adiabatic in-cloud temperature adjustment scheme was larger in magnitude than that from the latent heat scheme. Cycled data assimilation yielded good forecasts, where the ensemble probability of high vertical vorticity matched reasonably well with the observed tornado damage path. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the 3DVAR analysis and forecast system can provide reasonable forecasts of tornadic supercell storms.     

Evaluating the formation mechanisms of the equatorial Pacific SST warming pattern in CMIP5 models

Based on the historical and RCP8.5 runs of the multi-model ensemble of 32 models participating in CMIP5, the present study evaluates the formation mechanisms for the patterns of changes in equatorial Pacific SST under global warming.Two features with complex formation processes, the zonal El Ni ?no-like pattern and the meridional equatorial peak warming(EPW), are investigated. The climatological evaporation is the main contributor to the El Ni ?no-like pattern, while the ocean dynamical thermostat effect plays a comparable negative role. The cloud–shortwave-radiation–SST feedback and the weakened Walker circulation play a small positive role in the El Ni ?no-like pattern. The processes associated with ocean dynamics are confined to the equator. The climatological evaporation is also the dominant contributor to the EPW pattern, as suggested in previous studies. However, the effects of some processes are inconsistent with previous studies. For example,changes in the zonal heat advection due to the weakened Walker circulation have a remarkable positive contribution to the EPW pattern, and changes in the shortwave radiation play a negative role in the EPW pattern.     

Evaluation of WRF-based convection-permitting multi-physics ensemble forecasts over China for an extreme rainfall event on 21 July 2012 in Beijing

On 21 July 2012, an extreme rainfall event that recorded a maximum rainfall amount over 24 hours of 460 mm, occurred in Beijing, China. Most operational models failed to predict such an extreme amount. In this study, a convective-permitting ensemble forecast system (CEFS), at 4-km grid spacing, covering the entire mainland of China, is applied to this extreme rainfall case. CEFS consists of 22 members and uses multiple physics parameterizations. For the event, the predicted maximum is 415 mm d^-1 in the probability-matched ensemble mean. The predicted high-probability heavy rain region is located in southwest Beijing, as was observed. Ensemble-based verification scores are then investigated. For a small verification domain covering Beijing and its surrounding areas, the precipitation rank histogram of CEFS is much flatter than that of a reference global ensemble. CEFS has a lower (higher) Brier score and a higher resolution than the global ensemble for precipitation, indicating more reliable probabilistic forecasting by CEFS. Additionally, forecasts of different ensemble members are compared and discussed. Most of the extreme rainfall comes from convection in the warm sector east of an approaching cold front. A few members of CEFS successfully reproduce such precipitation, and orographic lift of highly moist low-level flows with a significantly southeasterly component is suggested to have played important roles in producing the initial convection. Comparisons between good and bad forecast members indicate a strong sensitivity of the extreme rainfall to the mesoscale environmental conditions, and, to less of an extent, the model physics.     

Big data analytics: six techniques

Abstract

Big data have 4V characteristics of volume, variety, velocity, and veracity, which authentically calls for big data analytics. However, what are the dominant characteristics of big data analysis? Here, the analytics is related to the entire methodology rather than the individual specific analysis. In this paper, six techniques concerning big data analytics are proposed, which include: (1) Ensemble analysis related to a large volume of data, (2) Association analysis related to unknown data sampling, (3) High-dimensional analysis related to a variety of data, (4) Deep analysis related to the veracity of data, (5) Precision analysis related to the veracity of data, and (6) Divide-and-conquer analysis related to the velocity of data. The essential of big data analytics is the structural analysis of big data in an optimal criterion of physics, computation, and human cognition. Fundamentally, two theoretical challenges, ie the violation of independent and identical distribution, and the extension of general set-theory, are posed. In particular, we have illustrated three kinds of association in geographical big data, ie geometrical associations in space and time, spatiotemporal correlations in statistics, and space-time relations in semantics. Furthermore, we have illustrated three kinds of spatiotemporal data analysis, ie measurement (observation) adjustment of geometrical quantities, human spatial behavior analysis with trajectories, data assimilation of physical models and various observations, from which spatiotemporal big data analysis may be largely derived.     

中国气象局S2S数据归档中心设计及关键技术

中国气象局S2S（Sub-seasonal to Seasonal）数据归档中心建设是中国气象局承担世界气象组织（WMO）的世界天气研究计划（WWRP）和世界气候研究计划（WCRP）任务,由国家气象信息中心负责设计和实现。该文介绍了S2S数据归档中心建设中涉及的数据交换、数据检查及处理、数据归档存储及数据服务门户全流程系统设计和实现。针对各业务中心生产的S2S数据配置差异较大造成数据交换、同步较难这一问题,采用基于FTP（file transfer protocol）的数据推送和基于ECMWF（European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts）WebAPI主动数据下载相结合的方式,说明数据交换、同步方法和策略。由于S2S数据量巨大难以高效管理服务,已设计统一的数据组织形式和存储规则,实现根据数据检索条件解析获取数据存储位置,提供便捷的数据检索下载服务。自2015年11月15日中国气象局S2S数据门户系统对外开放,目前数据门户系统已有超过18个国家的300个用户注册并下载数据。     

雷达资料同化对2015年台风彩虹数值模拟改进

基于WRF中尺度模式,采用集合卡尔曼滤波方法同化中国岸基多普勒天气雷达径向速度资料,对2015年登陆台风彩虹（1522）进行数值试验。从台风强度、路径、结构等方面验证了同化效果,并对不同区域雷达观测资料的同化敏感性进行讨论。试验结果表明:在同化窗内同化分析场台风位置误差相比未同化平均减小15 km,最多时刻减小38 km,同化资料时次越多,确定性预报路径误差越小。同化雷达资料后较好地反映出台风彩虹（1522）近海加强过程,台风中心最低气压同化分析和预报误差相比未同化最大减小超过25 hPa,台风眼的尺度、眼墙处对流非对称结构相比未同化与观测更加接近。试验还表明:台风内核100 km范围内的雷达观测对同化效果影响最大,仅同化这部分资料（约占总量的20%）各方面效果与同化全部资料相近,而仅同化100 km以外资料效果明显不及同化所有资料。仅同化台风内核雷达观测资料可以在不影响同化效果的前提下,使集合同化计算机时减小为原来的1/3,该策略可为台风实际业务预报提供一定参考。     

The characteristics of signal versus noise sst variability in the north pacific and the tropical pacific ocean

Total sea surface temperature (SST) in a coupled GCM is diagnosed by separating the variability into signal variance and noise variance. The signal and the noise is calculated from multi-decadal simulations from the COLA anomaly coupled GCM and the interactive ensemble model by assuming both simulations have a similar signal variance. The interactive ensemble model is a new coupling strategy that is designed to increase signal to noise ratio by using an ensemble of atmospheric realizations coupled to a single ocean model. The procedure for separating the signal and the noise variability presented here does not rely on any ad hoc temporal or spatial filter. Based on these simulations, we find that the signal versus the noise of SST variability in the North Pacific is significantly different from that in the equatorial Pacific. The noise SST variability explains the majority of the total variability in the North Pacific, whereas the signal dominates in the deep tropics. It is also found that the spatial characteristics of the signal and the noise are also distinct in the North Pacific and equatorial Pacific.     

Data assimilation methods for estimating a heterogeneous conductivity field by assimilating transient solute transport data via ensemble Kalman filter

An ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is developed to identify a hydraulic conductivity distribution in a heterogeneous medium by assimilating solute concentration measurements of solute transport in the field with a steady‐state flow. A synthetic case with the mixed Neumann/Dirichlet boundary conditions is designed to investigate the capacity of the data assimilation methods to identify a conductivity distribution. The developed method is demonstrated in 2‐D transient solute transport with two different initial instant solute injection areas. The influences of the observation error and model error on the updated results are considered in this study. The study results indicate that the EnKF method will significantly improve the estimation of the hydraulic conductivity field by assimilating solute concentration measurements. The larger area of the initial distribution and the more observed data obtained, the better the calculation results. When the standard deviation of the observation error varies from 1% to 30% of the solute concentration measurements, the simulated results by the data assimilation method do not change much, which indicates that assimilation results are not very sensitive to the standard deviation of the observation error in this study. When the inflation factor is more than 1.0 to enlarge the model error by increasing the forecast error covariance matrix, the updated results of the hydraulic conductivity by the data assimilation method are not good at all. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The value of updating ensemble streamflow prediction in reservoir operations

This study proposes a new monthly ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) forecasting system that can update the ESP in the middle of a month to reflect the meteorological and hydrological variations during that month. The reservoir operating policies derived from a sampling stochastic dynamic programming model using ESP scenarios updated three times a month were applied to the Geum River basin to measure the value of updated ESP for 21 years with 100 initial storage combinations. The results clearly demonstrate that updating the ESP scenario improves the accuracy of the forecasts and consequently their operational benefit. This study also proves that the accuracy of the ESP scenario, particularly when high flows occur, has a considerable effect on the reservoir operations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ensemble Forecasts of Tropical Cyclone Track with Orthogonal Conditional Nonlinear Optimal Perturbations

This paper preliminarily investigates the application of the orthogonal conditional nonlinear optimal perturbations(CNOPs)–based ensemble forecast technique in MM5(Fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model). The results show that the ensemble forecast members generated by the orthogonal CNOPs present large spreads but tend to be located on the two sides of real tropical cyclone(TC) tracks and have good agreements between ensemble spreads and ensemble-mean forecast errors for TC tracks. Subsequently, these members reflect more reasonable forecast uncertainties and enhance the orthogonal CNOPs–based ensemble-mean forecasts to obtain higher skill for TC tracks than the orthogonal SVs(singular vectors)–, BVs(bred vectors)– and RPs(random perturbations)–based ones. The results indicate that orthogonal CNOPs of smaller magnitudes should be adopted to construct the initial ensemble perturbations for short lead–time forecasts, but those of larger magnitudes should be used for longer lead–time forecasts due to the effects of nonlinearities. The performance of the orthogonal CNOPs–based ensemble-mean forecasts is case-dependent,which encourages evaluating statistically the forecast skill with more TC cases. Finally, the results show that the ensemble forecasts with only initial perturbations in this work do not increase the forecast skill of TC intensity, which may be related with both the coarse model horizontal resolution and the model error.