C-SRNWP Programme
Second Quarterly Report for 2012 (1 April - 30 June 2012)
Prepared by: Gergely Bölöni, C-SRNWP PM
Hungarian Meteorological Service
1024 Budapest, Kitaibel Pal utca 1., Hungary
Hungary
For submission to: EIG EUMETNET Secretariat
Summary: coordination with OPERA on volume data re-distribution; with ECMWF on IFS lateral boundary conditions for SRNWP EPS experiments;
preparation of preliminary assimilation experiments using high-resolution AMDAR profiles; colleting information on BUFR radiosond assimilation
Action required: For information and comment
Distribution: Public
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Reference |
Date |
Author(s) |
Content |
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4 July, 2012 |
Gergely Bölöni |
First version |
1. Headlines
The most important coordination activities in the second quarter were related to the
- communication of SRNWP requirements with respect to OPERA products towards the OPERA community
- communication requirements towards ECMWF regarding lateral boundary coupling for high resolution short-range EPS systems
- preparation of reference dataset for the high-resolution AMDAR trial (to let experiment in what extent the high-resolution AMDAR profiles can be digested by present European SRNWP models)
- collection of information for E-SAT about the status of BUFR radiosond assimilation in European SRNWP models
Details on the above coordination tasks can be found in the next chapter.
2. Status of programmatic targets
The main activity of the C-SRNWP programme is the scientific and technical (operational) coordination between the five LAM Consortia in Europe (ALADIN, COSMO, HIRLAM, LACE and Met Office). The coordination is ensured by the eight Expert Teams (data assimilation and use of observations; diagnostics, validation and verification; dynamics and lateral boundary coupling; link with applications; physical parameterization: upper air; predictability and EPS; surface and soil processes: model and data assimilation; system aspects) established in the previous years and through the regular correspondence (including the annual meeting) between the members of the SRNWP Advisory Committee (which now has to be renamed as SRNWP Expert Team according to the EUMETNET rules). Recent information can be found about the programme in general and about the workplans of the Expert Teams in particular at the SRNWP webpage hosted by the Hungarian Meteorological Service (srnwp.met.hu).
During the second quarter of 2012 the following coordination tasks have been managed:
Short-range NWP requirements regarding OPERA products have been composed and communicated towards the OPERA management. These requirements have been taken into account in the OPERA project requirements written for the tendering process for the next EUMETNET phase. Also several discussions took place within the SRNWP community (mostly within HIRLAM and ALADIN consortia) about the priorities for anticipated work packages of the future OPERA project. These priority preferences have been communicated to the OPERA management both via email and in the form of a presentation at the OPERA meeting (11-13 April, 2012, Vienna).
The communication between the SRNWP community and ECMWF has been continued about possible IFS EPS test runs to drive high resolution experimental LAM EPS systems. ECMWF has prepared an economic archive (reduced grid over Europe) for the future experiments and asked the SRNWP EPS community to test it technically. These tests have been successfully run by all interested consortia (ALADIN, LACE, COSMO, HIRLAM) and have been reported towards ECMWF. The SRNWP EPS community made an agreement on its requirements in terms of resolution, forecast range and EPS size and communicated this choice to ECMWF, however an agreement on the test periods is still missing due to the differing interests in various weather cases by countries in different locations over Europe. The SRNWP EPS requirements (regarding IFS LBCs) can be clearly articulated to ECMWF only if an agreement on the test periods is reached.
Based on an action decided at the last E-SAT meeting (19-20 April, Reading) the C-SRNWP PM was asked to coordinate preliminary assimilation experiments using high-resolution AMDAR data (such data were available for 17-18 May 2011 via GTS). To do this, C-SRNWP PM prepared a reference BUFR data set for the above-mentioned dates, which consisted of filtering the high-resolution data to get the usual resolution. Both high- and usual resolution data have been sent to data assimilation experts together with a questionnaire to get feedbacks whether present high-resolution models can digest the high-resolution AMDAR data and whether more complex Observing System Experiments (OSE) are to be proposed to evaluate the impact on forecasts (such OSE could be covered by the EUCOS budget in case of positive feedbacks).
Based on discussions at the last E-SAT meeting (19-20 April, Reading), the C-SRNWP PM collected information on the status of BUFR radiosond assimilation in European SRNWP models both concerning BUFR coded conventional radiosond data and those allowing to take into account a drifting by the wind (longitude, latitude coordinates included in the message). The main outcome is that only few such assimilation experimentations have been done so far. Also it is reflected in the answers that only a few radiosonds are encoded into BUFR messages and even fewer contain the latitude, longitude coordinates allowing to take into account the drift by the wind.
2.1. Expert Team issues
Members of the EPS expert team have been active in discussing the requirements regarding IFS LBCs to drive high-resolution experimental SRNWP EPS systems. However no consensus is reached yet on the test periods to apply.
Members of the Data Assimilation Expert Team were active in giving answers about the status of BUFR radiosond assimilation within their consortia.
It is to be mentioned that since several months no chair has been found within the ET for physical parametrisations and dynamics and coupling. Also a new chair is to be recruited/elected for the System ET during the summer of 2012.
2.2 Links with the partners
The two most important links with partners are those with the OPERA programme for communicating them SRNWP requirements regarding OPERA products and with ECMWF for communicating SRNWP requirements for driving high resolution short-range EPS systems possibly by additional IFS EPS runs. Besides the above two, the C-SRNWP Programme has contributed to the preparation of the "Workshop of Heads of European Meteorological Forecast Services" by giving a presentation on European SRNWP activities and about the C-SRNWP Programme and its future. The presentation has been given by the Interim Forecasting PM. The link with C-SRNWP member representatives is maintained via email.
3. Communication and cooperation
The communication with C-SRNWP member representatives, Expert Teams and EUMETNET Secreteriat is mainly maintained via email. Also the following meetings were used to enhance the communication and cooperation with different partners:
- OPERA meeting (11-13 April, Vienna)
- E-SAT meeting (19-20 April, Reading)
- ALADIN-HIRLAM workshop (6-13 May, Marrakesh)
It is to be mentioned as well, that 3 new users (Croatia, Germany, Hungary) have joined to use the surface data base initiated by the C-SRNWP Expert Team on Surface processes (and maintained by the COSMO consortium).
4. Benefits delivery
In general, the coordination of European limited area modeling activities is clearly beneficial for the EUMETNET partners, since it enhances the development of SRNWP models used by the modeling consortia and their members, significantly contributing to the improvement of forecasting activities of the meteorological services with special emphasis on the protection of life and property.
More particularly the coordination made in the second quarter of 2012 implicitly contributes to the development of high-resolution data assimilation systems (use of radar data, high-resolution AMDAR profiles and BUFR radiosond data taking into account the wind drift) and high-resolution probabilistic forecasting (communication of SRNWP EPS requirements towards ECMWF regarding the needed IFS lateral boundary conditions).
5. Financial report
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Remarks: * The 2013 budget column has been left blank because there is so much uncertainty about the 2013 budget at this stage. |
6. Risks and issues
None to report.
7. Programme change requests
None to request.
8. Outlook
The most important SRNWP related coordination goals for the second half of 2012 are to
- keep the conversation between the OPERA and C-SRNWP communities regarding the NWP use of radar data (re-distribution of volume data)
- continue the communication between the SRNWP EPS experts and ECMWF about the provision of experimental lateral boundary conditions from the IFS model
- organize the scientific programme of the EWGLAM/SRNWP workshop (8-11 October, Helsinki), which is the most appropriate meeting for the C-SRNWP member representatives to meet
- also several meetings are foreseen for autumn with the participation of the C-SRNWP PM: Cosmo General Meeting (11-13 September, Lugano), ECMWF SAC meeting (October, Reading), OPERA meeting (24-26 October, Norway)
