Observation Strategies Based on Singular Value Decomposition for Ocean Analysis and Forecast

Abstract

In this article, we discuss possible observing strategies for a simplified ocean model (Double Gyre (DG)), used as a preliminary tool to understand the observation needs for real analysis and forecasting systems. Observations are indeed fundamental to improve the quality of forecasts when data assimilation techniques are employed to obtain reliable analysis results. In addition, observation networks, particularly in situ observations, are expensive and require careful positioning of instruments. A possible strategy to locate observations is based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). SVD has many advantages when a variational assimilation method such as the 4D-Var is available, with its computation being dependent on the tangent linear and adjoint models. SVD is adopted as a method to identify areas where maximum error growth occurs and assimilating observations can give particular advantages. However, an SVD-based observation positioning strategy may not be optimal; thus, we introduce other criteria based on the correlation between points, as the information observed on neighboring locations can be redundant. These criteria are easily replicable in practical applications, as they require rather standard studies to obtain prior information.