Assimilation of Hyperspectral Infrared Radiances over Land and Sea-Ice Surfaces

We report recent progress toward the assimilation of AIRS and IASI radiances which are sensitive to land and sea surfaces at the Canadian Meteorological Center. The work is carried out in the context of the upcoming global ensemble – variational (EnVar) system. The system provides flow-dependent background errors which include covariances between surface temperature and atmospheric variables. About 140 channels are assimilated from both AIRS and IASI. The sensitivity of radiance monitoring statistics to quality control criteria is examined. The presentation is completed by impact studies based on 1-2 month assimilation cycles.