A Comparison of Several Meteorological Analysis Schemes over a Data-Rich Region

• Published in: Monthly weather review 1977-09, Vol.105 (9), p.1083-1091
• Main Authors: Otto-Bliesner, Bette, Baumhefner, David P., Schlatter, Thomas W., Bleck, Rainer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0027-0644; 1520-0493
• DOI: 10.1175/1520-0493(1977)105<1083:acosma>2.0.co;2

Among the many ways of comparing meteorological analyses, two are considered: their ability to fit the contours to observed data, and to portray accurately the amplitude and position of synoptic-scale waves. Four analysis methods are investigated in a data-rich area: the National Meteorological Center (NMC) operational, successive-correction, objective analysis; a global statistical multivariate analysis; an isentropic analysis; and a hand-analyzed, subjective analysis. Analyses of wind and height for Dec. 11-14, 1967, are compared on mandatory pressure surfaces. The individual analyses show minor differences in the positions and intensities of synoptic-scale meteorological features, in gradients, and in the smoothing of the data. Most differences are explained in terms of the computational methods used by each analysis scheme. The NMC, isentropic, and multivariate schemes fit the station data more closely than the subjective analyses. On the basis of these comparisons, it is not possible to distinguish among the performances of the three objective analyses in a data-rich area.