GEOS FP Upgraded to GEOS-5.29.4 on March 1
03.02.22
The GMAO upgraded the GEOS Forward Processing (GEOS FP) system, from GEOS-5.27.1 to GEOS-5.29.4 starting with the 06:00 UTC cycle on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.
This upgrade did not result in any structural changes to products documented in the GEOS FP File Specification, which is available at the link included at the bottom of this article. The formats and access methods for GEOS FP remained the same.
Version 5.29.4 of the GEOS atmospheric data assimilation system includes updates to both the analysis and forecast model. For the analysis, these include changes to both the algorithm and input observing system. The radiative transfer model used in the GSI has been updated to CRTM version 2.3.0, and modifications have been made to the treatment of GOES-16 satellite winds, the observation operator for radio occultation data, and the handling of buoy observations at high latitudes. Updates to the input observing system include the assimilation of IR radiances from IASI on Metop-C as well as radio occultations from KOMPSAT and Paz. The forecast model has been updated to version 1.12.3 of the code base, this includes several technical updates and a bug-fix in the Henry’s law wet deposition code within the Grell-Freitas convection scheme and updated scavenging coefficients for gaseous constituent species CO, CO2, CH4 and NH3. Finally, the MAPL software interface layer has been updated to MAPL-2.
Overall, these updates provide significant positive impact on the GEOS analysis and short-term forecast performance, as revealed by the forecast fit to observations and traditional skill-scores, including reduced root mean square errors and increased anomaly correlations. The largest improvements occur in the tropical wind field at almost all levels, but statistically significant improvements also occur in the temperature and humidity fields. The impacts in the extratropics are neutral to slightly positive. The bulk of the improved performance appears due to the revised treatment of the GOES-16 satellite winds, with smaller contributions from the remaining analysis system updates. Updates to the forecast model for this implementation are mostly technical in nature with the exception of the revised scavenging updates, which provide more realistic concentrations for some gaseous and aerosol species.
More information about GEOS real-time products, including the current GEOS FP File Specification document, can be found at this link: https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/GMAO_products/
