Impact of the Assimilation of CHAMP Refractivity Profiles on Environment Canada Global Forecasts

The data assimilation system of Environment Canada (EC) is adapted to accept GPS radio occultation (GPSRO) data. Observations of this type are available with extensive coverage from several satellites. In this study, experiments are performed to compare the skill of EC’s three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system (including all data normally assimilated operationally), with and without the addition of radio occultation refractivity data from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload for Geophysical Research (CHAMP). These data were not available at the time studied as near-real-time (NRT) observations. However, data from this and other radio occultation missions are now available as NRT data, and the conditions (latency, reliability) are improving. It is expected that NRT GPSRO data from a number of satellite missions will continue to be available through the following years. The results of the assimilation tests are evaluated against the following three data types: radiosondes (t...