The Application of Sea Level Pressure and Vorticity Fields derived from the University of Washington Planetary Boundary Layer Model in the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center
Abstract
The SeaWinds scatterometer onboard the NASA QuikSCAT satellite has been providing forecasters in the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) with Near-Real Time (NRT) ocean vector winds over large ocean areas since 1999. Although QuikSCAT's impact on the analysis and forecast process has been significant to the short-term wind warning process, this positive impact has not carried over to the analysis of the sea level pressure field over the open oceans. In an effort to improve their SLP analyses, OPC began to run the University of Washington Planetary Boundary Layer (UWPBL) model to derive SLP, surface vorticity and surface wind speed fields using the NRT QuikSCAT winds from NOAA/NESDIS as input. The UWPBL model derived SLP, surface vorticity and surface wind speed fields were made available to OPC forecasters so that they could overlay these products with other observational fields and model guidance. The SLP fields from the UWPBL model were examined over a three month period. The model was found to produce dynamically consistent SLP fields the majority of the time. There were occasional instances, however, where the UPWBL model produced central pressures that were unrealistically low and/or high. This problem was determined to be related to stratification issues and to the method of assimilation of available ship and buoy observations into the model to seed the pressure gradient field. This paper will present several case studies illustrating the application of UWPBL derived sea level pressure and vorticity by OPC forecasters.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA499065
Entities
People
- Gregory M. Mcfadden
- Joan M. Von Ahn
- Joseph M. Sienkiewicz
Organizations
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration