Researchers Participate in International Conference on Reanalysis
January 25, 2008
 Conference Venue: Institute of Industrial Science, Tokyo, Japan. |
Scientists from the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories's Physical Sciences Division (PSL) will participate in the "Third World Climate Research Program (WCRP) International Conference on Reanalysis," January 28 – February 1, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Gil Compo will give an invited talk entitled, "The 20th Century Reanalysis Project," and Jeff Whitaker will present a talk entitled, "Ensemble Data Assimilation for Historical Reanalysis." The focus of the conference will be on applications using reanalysis data, comparison and validation of characteristics of each reanalysis, data assimilation technique for reanalysis, and strategy international cooperation for future reanalysis. The conference will consider not only global atmospheric reanalysis but also ocean and land reanalysis, mainly from the viewpoint of interaction with the atmosphere.
The first WCRP reanalysis conference was held in 1997, in the U.S., and the second in 1999, in Reading, UK. In the 8 years since then, advanced data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis for 1957–2002 (ERA-40) and the Japanese reanalysis for 1979–2004 (JRA-25) have become available and reanalysis data are now used worldwide as an essential standard data for climate research activities. PSL researchers have developed a unique capability to produce high-quality reanalyses for the troposphere from surface pressure observations using a data assimilation system, and established the feasibility of producing a 100-year reanalysis dataset.
Longer reanalysis datasets could enable researchers to address issues such as the range of natural variability of extreme weather events and how climate modes such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation alter these events. Ongoing reanalysis is needed to understand past changes in the climate system in the context of our changing climate today. These reanalyses are continually improving as historical observations are recovered, and our models and analysis techniques improve." This activity supports NOAA's mission goal of understanding climate variability and change to enhance society's ability to plan and respond, and the cross-cutting priority of international cooperation and collaboration.
| Contact: Gil Compo | More Information: |