A Sequential Non-Gaussian Approach for Precipitation Data Assimilation

Abstract

AbstractIn two recent studies, the authors presented a new data assimilation (DA) method for precipitation observations that does not require Gaussianity or linearity assumptions. The method, called localized ensemble mosaic assimilation (LEMA), initializes the new ensemble forecast by relaxing the background ensemble (prior) toward a single analysis composed of different column states taken from the ensemble members with the lowest error in the precipitation forecast. However, a limitation of the LEMA method is that relaxing the background ensemble toward that analysis severely reduces the spread of the ensemble, thus, limiting its usefulness for cycled DA applications. This study presents a new version of LEMA, called localized ensemble mosaic assimilation sequence (LEMAS), suitable for cycled DA operations. LEMAS constructs an ensemble of analysis mosaics using a small group of members closer to the observations instead of only the closest one. The new ensemble forecast is then initialized by recentering the prior ensemble around the mean of the analysis ensemble while scaling the original background perturbations to match the spread of the analysis mosaics. A series of ideal and real DA experiments are used to evaluate the potential of LEMAS for the assimilation of hourly accumulation observations. A comparison of LEMAS with the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) using idealized experiments shows that LEMAS produces similar or slightly better forecast quality than the LETKF in temperature, water vapor, winds, and precipitation. Extending this comparison to real DA experiments assimilating Stage-IV precipitation observations shows that both methods produce precipitation forecasts of comparable quality.