Data Requirements for an Operational Weather Prediction System in the 1990's

Abstract

In order to meet societal needs for improved weather forecasts, old and new technology must be blended to provide a more detailed and spatially broader view of the atmosphere. Advancing technology, and its associated needs for efficiency, have increased demands for weather information at both short ranges (1-2 days) and extended ranges (1 week-1 month). Over the past two decades the introduction of improved mathematical techniques and electronic technology have allowed a more precise application of the laws of physics to the atmosphere, leading to significant increases in prediction accuracy. There is ample evidence that further advances in predictive ability can be achieved if inherent approximations remaining in the numerical weather prediction (NWP) system are made with more precision.