Intelligent optimization algorithms to VDA of models with on/off parameterizations

Abstract

Some variational data assimilation (VDA) problems of time- and space-discrete models with on/off parameterizations can be regarded as non-smooth optimization problems. Same as the sub-gradient type method, intelligent optimization algorithms, which are widely used in engineering optimization, can also be adopted in VDA in virtue of their no requirement of cost function’s gradient (or sub-gradient) and their capability of global convergence. Two typical intelligent optimization algorithms, genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), are introduced to VDA of modified Lorenz equations with on-off parameterizations, then two VDA schemes are proposed, that is, GA based VDA (GA-VDA) and PSO based VDA (PSO-VDA). After revealing the advantage of GA and PSO over conventional adjoint methods in the ability of global searching at the existence of cost function’s discontinuity induced by on-off switches, sensitivities of GA-VDA and PSO-VDA to population size, observational noise, model error and observational density are detailedly analyzed.