GPS Radio Occultation Observations (RO) are being assimilated at most operational Numerical Weather Prediction Centers and have been proven to provide significant information on the state of the atmosphere. The assimilation of GPS RO observations in operational data assimilation systems has resulted in significant improvements in model forecast skill.

Studies have shown that the assimilation of GPS RO observations not just improves model performance due to the assimilation of these measurements per se, but it also enhances the benefits of other satellite instruments that need to be bias-corrected in the assimilation system. The reason for this is that GPS RO observations do not need to be bias corrected - due to lack of biases, so they act as ‘anchor' measurements to the model, avoiding drifts in the bias correction applied to other satellite measurements. This results in a better use of microwave and infrared radiances within operational models.

During this talk, the benefits of assimilating GPS RO observations in terms of enhancing the use of other satellite data within different models will be discussed.