Long-term diagnostics of precipitation estimates and the development of radar hardware monitoring within a radar product data quality management system

Abstract

Quality is key to ensuring that the potential offered by weather radar networks is realized. To achieve optimum quality, a comprehensive radar data quality management system, designed to monitor the end-to-end radar data processing chain and evaluate product quality, is being developed at the UK Met Office. Three contrasting elements of this system are described: monitoring of key radar hardware performance indicators; generation of long-term integrations of radar products; and monitoring of radar reflectivity factor using synthesized observations from numerical weather prediction model fields. Examples of each component are presented and ways in which the different types of monitoring information have been used to both identify issues with the radar product data quality and help formulate solutions are given.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor R.J. Moore

Citation Harrison, D., Georgiou, S., Gaussiat, N., and Curtis, A., 2013. Long-term diagnostics of precipitation estimates and the development of radar hardware monitoring within a radar product data quality management system. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (7), 1327–1342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2013.841316     

梅雨锋暴雨研究中的四维变分同化试验

作者利用PSU/NCAR的MM5数值预报模式及其伴随模式, 以中国1999年6月23日～24日的一次梅雨锋暴雨过程为个例, 根据气象要素与同化窗口之间的配置差异, 作了3组变分同化试验.试验结果表明: 4DVAR方法在提高梅雨锋暴雨的数值预报水平上具有重要的作用.     

4DSVD分析误差与样本选取方法和样本容量的关系初探

分析误差与样本选取方法和样本容量的关系是4DSVD同化方法一个亟需研究的重要问题。获得支撑大气模式空间和观测空间吸引子的基向量是4DSVD研究的关键部分,样本的好坏和样本容量的范围是决定4DSVD基向量和分析结果质量的一个重要前提条件。首先利用Lorenz28变量模式,用4DSVD方法做了一些简单三维同化试验,探讨了Lorenz28变量模式的分析误差与样本容量和样本选取方法的关系。数值试验结果表明,对一个具体的模式,有限的样本容量就能够获得较高精度的分析结果;在模式系统和观测系统不变情况下,用一定样本容量得到的支撑模式空间和观测空间的基向量具有很好的稳定性,即一旦获得一组较好的基向量,在观测系统和模式系统不变的情况下,对同化任何时刻的观测适用;分析结果对选取方法没有太大的依赖性,但具体的样本容量要视不同模式和样本选取方法而定。用WRF模式做的4DSVD四维观测系统模拟试验结果表明,若样本选取方法得当,所需要的样本容量要远远小于模式自由度。4DSVD要真正获得较高精度的分析结果,需要的条件是尽可能的在吸引子上取样并选取充足的样本容量;间隔取样可以一定程度上减少计算量。根据数值试验结果提出了4DSVD在实际同化时样本选取的一些初步的方法。     

变分连续同化中优化步长的推导方法及数值试验

一个好的变分同化方法,必须考虑到预报模式具有误差,并对模式误差进行纠正.变分连续同化(VCA)通过在模式方程中引进一个修正项,连续地调整模式变量,从而达到以上目的.在变分连续同化的迭代过程中,优化步长的选取方法对于同化迭代是否收敛、收敛速度快慢与否都至关重要,文中推导了一种有效利用观测资料计算优化步长的新方法,并以大气运动方程中一维非线性平流波和二维惯性波为例,进行了四维变分资料同化数值试验.数值结果表明,VCA方法和计算优化步长的公式都是有效的.     

Impact of Ocean Mean Dynamic Topography on Satellite Data Assimilation

The response of an eddy-permitting ocean model to changes imposed by the use of different mean dynamic topographies (MDT) is analyzed in a multivariate assimilation context, allowing the evaluation of this impact, not only on the surface circulation, but also on the interior ocean representation. The assimilation scheme is a reduced-order sequential Kalman filter (SEEK). In a first set of experiments, high resolution sea surface temperature, along-track sea surface height and sea surface salinity from climatology are assimilated into a 1/3° resolution North and Tropical Atlantic version of the HYCOM model. In a second experiment, in situ profile data are assimilated in addition to the surface measurements.

The first set of experiments illustrates that important differences in the representation of the horizontal model circulation pattern are related to differences in the MDT used. The objective of assimilation is to improve the representation of the 3D ocean state. However, the imperfect representation of the mean dynamic topography appears to be an important limiting factor with regard to the degree of realism obtained in the simulated flow.

Vertical temperature and salinity profiles are key observations to drive a general circulation ocean model toward a more realistic state. The second set of experiments shows that assimilating them in addition to sea surface measurements is a far from trivial exercise. A specific difficulty is due to inconsistencies between the dynamic topography diagnosed from in situ observations and that diagnosed from sea surface height. These two fields obtained from different data sources do not contain exactly the same information. In order to overcome this difficulty, a strategy is proposed and validated.     

Altimeter Signal-to-Noise for Deep Ocean Processes in Operational Systems

The ocean signal for this study is the sea surface height due to the slowly varying (greater than 5-day) ocean processes, which are predominantly the deep ocean mesoscale. These processes are the focus of present assimilation systems for monitoring and predicting ocean circulation due to ocean fronts and eddies and the associated environmental changes that impact real time activities in areas with depths greater than about 200 m. By this definition, signal-to-noise may be estimated directly from altimeter data sets through a crossover point analysis. The RMS variability in crossover differences is due to instrument noise, errors in environmental corrections to the satellite observation, and short time period oceanic variations. The signal-to-noise ratio indicates that shallow areas are typically not well observed due to the high frequency fluctuations. Many deep ocean areas also contain significant high frequency variability such as the subpolar latitudes, which have large atmospheric pressure systems moving through, and these in turn generate large errors in the inverse barometer correction. Understanding the spatial variations of signal to noise is a necessary prerequisite for correct assimilation of the data into operational systems.     

Nitrogen utilisation by size‐fractionated phytoplankton assemblages associated with an upwelling event off Westland,New Zealand

Abstract

Uptake rates of ammonium (NH₄ ⁺ ), nitrate (NO₃ ^? ), and urea by three subgroups of phytoplankton (< 200, < 20, < 2 μm) off Westland, were measured using ¹⁵ N tracer techniques in midwinter 1988, after a recent upwelling. For all size fractions at surface irradiance (I₁₀₀), nitrogen (N) was taken up primarily as NO₃ ^?. This accounted for 67–85% of total N uptake (SρN), whereas at 40 and 7% of surface irradiance, the regenerated N (NH₄ ⁺ ) and urea) made up 31–72% of SρN. Depth profile experiments for all three size components showed that uptake of NO₃ ^? was most light‐sensitive, followed by that of NH₄ ⁺ and urea. The irradiance and nutrient availability plot indicated that light was substantially more important than the nutrient concentrations in controlling the assimilation of N by microplankton (20–200 μm). Nano‐ (2–20 μm) and picoplankton (< 2 μm) however, were not as sensitive to either light or nutrient concentrations. High winds and the resulting deep mixing, combined with offshore and alongshore advection in the midwinter, were suggested to be the major cause of the low biomass and N productivity.     

Metabolic plasticity of nitrogen assimilation by Porphyra umbilicalis (Linnaeus) Kützing

The physical stresses associated with emersion have long been considered major factors determining the vertical zonation of intertidal seaweeds.We examined Porphyra umbilicalis(Linnaeus) Kützing thalli from the vertical extremes in elevation of an intertidal population(i.e.upper and lower intertidal zones) to determine whether Porphyra thalli acclimate to different vertical elevations on the shore with different patterns of nitrate uptake and nitrate reductase(NR) and glutamine synthetase(GS) activities in response to different degrees of emersion stress.We found that the nitrate uptake and NR recovery in the emersed tissues took longer in lower intertidal sub-population than in upper intertidal sub-population;and GS activity was also significantly affected by emersion and,interestingly,such an activity was enhanced by emersion of thalli from both upper and lower intertidal zones.These results suggested that intra-population variability in post-emersion recovery of physiological functions such as nutrient uptake and NR activity enables local adaptation and contributes to the wide vertical distribution of P.umbilicalis.The high GS activity during periodic emersion stress may be a protective mechanism enabling P.umbilicalis to assimilate nitrogen quickly when it again becomes available,and may also be an evidence of photorespiration during emersion.     

柴达木北缘东段呼德生镁铁-超镁铁质岩体锆石U-Pb年代学、地球化学及成岩成矿分析

呼德生岩体位于柴北缘造山带欧龙布鲁克微陆块东南缘,侵位于古元古代金水口变质岩群中。该岩体从中心到边缘依次出现橄榄岩→辉石岩→辉长岩的岩相分带特征,岩石主要类型有纯橄岩、橄榄二辉岩和辉长岩,各岩石之间多为过渡接触关系,镍铜矿化主要赋存于辉石岩中。锆石LAICP-MS U-Pb年代学研究表明,岩体形成年龄为425.2±5.8Ma,为柴北缘晚志留世-晚泥盆世后造山伸展阶段岩浆作用的产物。岩石镁铁比值(m/f)为2.51~5.37,属于铁质系列基性-超基性岩。各类岩石富集轻稀土元素(LREE)和大离子亲石元素(Ba、Sr、Rb),而亏损高场强元素(Zr、Hf、Nb、Ta)。岩相学、矿物学及岩石地球化学研究表明岩浆在演化过程中发生了一定程度的结晶分异作用和同化混染作用。结合岩体形成年代及区域地质资料,呼德生岩体应形成于大陆边缘伸展阶段,原始岩浆在演化过程中经历了地幔流体的交代作用。通过对岩浆结晶分异程度及同化混染情况等方面的综合评价,认为呼德生岩体具有良好的铜镍硫化物矿床形成条件。