Geostationary HyperSpectral Sounder (Geo-HSS) Constellation: A Global OSSE Assessment

After developing a robust set of simulated control observations (based on what was operational in August-September 2014), test observations from a constellation of five Geostationary HyperSpectral Sounders (Geo-HSS) covering all latitudes from 50S to 50N were simulated from the 7-km GEOS-5 Nature Run (G5NR). These observations, using the same channels as Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), contained explicit observation errors (biases and variances) based on the errors added to IASI_Metop-B in the control dataset and forecast system used for Global Forecast System (GFS) Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs). Preliminary results show significant impacts resulting from this Geo-HSS constellation, bringing GFS analyses closer to the true state of the atmosphere (the Nature Run, in the OSSE case), as well as global-scale forecasts. Impacts over the continental United States will also be shown, in addition to demonstrating the constellation’s impact on tropical cyclone track and intensity across the Atlantic and North Pacific.