Assimilation of DoD Sensor Data Into Operational Forecast Models

Remotely-sensed observations from satellites hold great promise for providing a wealth of hightemporal and spatial resolution data, particularly over the oceans. However, it has been very difficult for numerical weather prediction systems to show consistent, positive forecast improvement attributable to satellite retrievals obtained in the conventional manner. By developing techniques for the direct assimilation of the satellite measured radiances, this project will lay the foundation for improved threeand four-dimensional data assimilation systems for global and mesoscale applications. These systems may be run at operational central-site forecast centers or run on-scene to provide operational mission support.