Extended Abstract (2.8M)6.4
Effect of TAMDAR on RUC short-term forecasts of aviation-impact fields for ceiling, visibility, reflectivity, and precipitation
Edward J. Szoke, CIRA/Colorado State Univ. and NOAA, Boulder, CO; and S. G. Benjamin, R. S. Collander, B. D. Jamison, W. R. Moninger, T. W. Schlatter, B. Schwartz, and T. L. Smith
NOAA/ESRL/GSD has been evaluating TAMDAR (Troposheric AMDAR (Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay)) data since its introduction in 2005 on 63 commercial regional aircraft during an experiment known as the Great Lakes Fleet Experiment (GLFE). TAMDAR adds the critical measurement of moisture to wind and temperature observations in the vertical, and its deployment provided ascent/descent profiles in many regional airports not previously covered by weather-reporting aircraft. One of the evaluations that has been ongoing is to assess the impact of TAMDAR on forecasts from the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model, by running parallel versions of the model where one has TAMDAR and the other does not. Temperature, wind, and relative humidity have been evaluated using the ongoing parallel RUC runs through comparison with RAOBs. Recently, we have begun to compare the RUC forecasts of sensible weather that can have a direct impact on aviation concerns. This paper will report on these new efforts in terms of a comparison of forecasts of precipitation, ceiling, and visibility, assessing the impact of TAMDAR through both objective scoring and subjective evaluation. A new RUC field of reflectivity will soon be added to the 20-km TAMDAR/no-TAMDAR parallel cycles, and this will allow for a better subjective comparison on an hourly basis to readily-available observed reflectivity that should be especially relevant to aviation issues.
Session 6, Nowcasting and Modeling Part II
Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, 226-227
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