https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9585-8349
Abstract
Wind profile observations near the surface are rarely assimilated into numerical weather prediction models. More and more ground-based remote sensing devices for wind profile observations are used to get profiles up to the hub height of wind turbines. However, an observation impact of LiDAR-like wind profile measurements on data assimilation in the atmospheric boundary layer is unknown. We show here the observation impact of boundary layer wind profile measurements on a sub-kilometre-scale data assimilation system for the metropolitan area of Hamburg. This data assimilation system is based on the Kilometre-scale ENsemble Data Assimilation system and the COnsortium for Small-scale MOdelling model. In three stably stratified test cases, we show a positive observation impact of wind profile observations on wind speed in analyses and for forecasts. The analysis improvements in wind speed are propagated to improvements in temperature at forecast time in two of three cases. Additional assimilation of temperature and relative humidity increases the mean absolute increments only by a small amount compared to increments due to wind profile observations. Wind profile observations in the atmospheric boundary layer have therefore valuable information for data assimilation on small scales.
Acknowledgements
We want to acknowledge the Deutscher Wetterdienst, especially Hendrik Reich and Christoph Schraff, for delivering ICON-EPS boundary data and technical help with COSMO-KENDA during the development. Further, we want to acknowledge Ingo Lange for the Wettermast Hamburg data. We want also to acknowledge members of the DFG research unit 2131 ‘Data Assimilation for Improved Characterization of Fluxes across Compartmental Interfaces’ for the help of conducting this study.
Disclosure statement
We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.