Abstract
This paper presents the future European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts soil moisture analysis system based on a point‐wise Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The performance of the system is evaluated against the current operational Optimal Interpolation (OI) system. Both systems use proxy observations, i.e., 2 m air temperature and relative humidity. The spatial structure of the analysis increments obtained from both analyses are comparable. However, the EKF‐based increments are generally higher for the top soil layers then for the bottom layer. This gradient better reflects the underlying hydrological processes in that the strongest interaction between soil moisture and bare soil evaporation and transpiration through vegetation should occur in top layers where most of the roots are located. The impact on the forecast skill, e.g., air temperature at 2 m and 500 hPa height, is neutral. The new EKF surface analysis system offers a range of further development options for the exploitation of satellite observations for the initialization of the land surface in Numerical Weather Prediction.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
