Identification

Title

Estimation of random error statistics in high-resolution radiosondes, ERA-Interim, and COSMIC radio occultation soundings in the northeast Pacific Ocean during the MAGIC campaign

Abstract

Random errors (uncertainties) in COSMIC radio occultation (RO) soundings, ERA-Interim (ERAi) reanalyses, and high-resolution radiosondes (RS) are estimated in the northeast Pacific Ocean during the MAGIC campaign in 2012 and 2013 using the three-cornered hat method. Estimated refractivity and bending angle errors peak at similar to 2 km, and have a secondary peak at similar to 15 km. They are related to vertical and horizontal gradients of temperature and water vapor and associated atmospheric variability at these two levels. MAGIC RS refractivity and bending angles obtained from forward models have the largest uncertainties, followed by COSMIC RO soundings. ERAi has the smallest uncertainties. The large RS uncertainties can be primarily attributed to representativeness errors (differences). Differences in space and time of the RO and model datasets from the RS observations, error correlations among datasets, and the small sample size are other possible reasons contributing to these differences of estimated error statistics. RO temperature and humidity are retrieved from refractivity using a one-dimensional variational (1D-Var) method from the COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center (CDAAC). The estimated errors for COSMIC temperature are comparable to those of the MAGIC RS except near 1 km, where they are much higher. The estimated errors for COSMIC specific humidity are similar to the MAGIC specific humidity errors below SIM;5 km and much smaller above this level. Estimates of COSMIC random errors based on ERAi, JRA-55, and MERRA-2 reanalyses in the same region, as well as comparison with estimates from other studies, support the reliability of our estimates.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7mw2mzf

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2022-09-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

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name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact