Qingyun Zhao, Keith Sashegyi, John Cook Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California

Qin Xu National Severe Storm Laboratory, Norman, Oklahoma

Li Wei CIMMS, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma

Abstract

The cloud analysis system from the ARPS Data Assimilation System (ADAS) is running routinely at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Monterey, California on a real-time basis. The system uses the background forecast fields from the Navy's Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) and satellite data and surface observations directly from the Tactical Environmental Data Server (TEDS). One of the major applications of the three-dimensional cloud analysis is to initialize COAMPS cloud fields with an aim of improving the model's performance, especially the cloud and precipitation forecasts, which, in turn, will further increase the accuracy of the cloud analysis by providing an improved background field. Experiments are being conducted at NRL Monterey to study the impact of the improved initial cloud fields on the model forecast. In these experiments, model clouds are initialized with the three-dimensional cloud liquid water mixing ratio and cloud ice mixing ratio from the ADAS cloud analysis. At the same time, the moisture field is also modified accordingly to support the cloud initialization. As progress is being made, some interesting results from our experiments will be presented at the conference.