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Atmospheric Measurements

Atmospheric Measurements. Brett Hoover 26 January 2009. Why Talk About Atmospheric Measurements?. They are the only way we know anything about the atmosphere (this includes weather models!) Many kinds of measurements (simple/archaic  sophisticated/new)

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Atmospheric Measurements

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  1. Atmospheric Measurements Brett Hoover 26 January 2009

  2. Why Talk About Atmospheric Measurements? • They are the only way we know anything about the atmosphere (this includes weather models!) • Many kinds of measurements (simple/archaic  sophisticated/new) • Making sense of all of these measurements and using them to predict what will happen next is at the heart of what it means to be a meteorologist

  3. Observations: The Oldest Measurements • The first observations in the United States came from the US Post Office, with postal agents writing down the weather that they observed

  4. Observations: The Oldest Measurements • Benjamin Franklin, Postmaster General, took disparate observations from around the country and used them to develop theories about the behavior of weather

  5. Franklin Theorizes on Waterspouts

  6. Observations: The Oldest Measurements • Observations like these are still taken today, with stations around the country taking hourly measurements of temperature, dewpoint, wind speed/direction, and observed weather and reporting them in a meteorological short-hand called METAR reports: KMSN 211953Z 21005KT 7SM OVC020 M05/M10 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP112 T10501100

  7. Observations: The Oldest Measurements • Observations like these are still taken today, with stations around the country taking hourly measurements of temperature, dewpoint, wind speed/direction, and observed weather and reporting them in a meteorological short-hand called METAR reports: KMSN 211953Z 21005KT 7SM OVC020 M05/M10 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP112 T10501100 Location: Madison WI Wind Speed/Direction Temperature/Dewpoint Cloud Cover

  8. Observations and Analysis Plots • Observations can be converted into symbols: 23 112 KMSN 211953Z 21005KT 7SM OVC020 M05/M10 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP112 T10501100 14

  9. Observations and Analysis Plots • And the symbols can be plotted on a map detailing their location:

  10. ? ? ?

  11. Modern-Day Remote Measurements Satellite

  12. Modern-Day Remote Measurements Satellite Radar

  13. Modern-Day Remote Measurements Satellite Radar Aircraft Observations

  14. Modern-Day Remote Measurements Satellite Radar Aircraft Observations Buoy/Ship Observations

  15. 23 112 14 Data Assimilation

  16. Data Assimilation • The process of taking many different kinds of observations and measurements and getting them to work together to create a scientifically consistent picture of the atmosphere • Without data assimilation, computer models cannot use the various weather observations that are taken. If we don’t know what the weather is like right now, we can’t predict what it will be like in the future! • Data assimilation is a growth industry in meteorology – there are always new kinds of observations being developed and they need to be assimilated into computer models

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