Validation and Data Assimilation of Himawari-8 Rapid Scan Atmospheric Motion Vectors for Typhoon

The Meteorological Satellite Center of Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA/MSC) has produced operational Himawari-8 Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) since July 7th, 2015. The AMVs are produced using three sequential satellite images with time interval of 10 minutes. In addition, the JMA/MSC also started producing Himawari-8 Rapid Scan Atmospheric Motion Vectors (RS-AMVs), as trial, using operational rapid scan observation with time interval of 2.5 minutes over Japan area and a small domain covering a typhoon in the western North Pacific.

As preparatory step, the quality of RS-AMVs for four typhoons (Soudelor, Goni, Dujuan in 2015 and Nepartak in 2016) was investigated using DOTSTAR drop sonde observations and the forecasts of the JMA’s global Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) system. One of the preliminary results found in the case of typhoon Goni is that RS-AMV wind speeds had negative bias against DOTSTAR drop sonde observations except the levels around the cloud top.  As next step, the quality control system will be reviewed considering the results of data quality investigation and Observing System Experiments of RS-AMVs for typhoon will be performed using the JMA’s global NWP System.

I will give a presentation on the results of data quality investigation and the OSE of RS-AMVs in detail at the Fifth Symposium on the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation in 97th AMS Annual Meeting.

Acknowledgements:  DOTSTAR data are used in this study. JMA thanks to the data and DOTSTAR project.