A multi-model ensemble Kalman filter for data assimilation and forecasting (original) (raw)
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Data assimilation using an ensemble Kalman filter technique
Monthly Weather Review, 1998
The possibility of performing data assimilation using the flow-dependent statistics calculated from an ensemble of short-range forecasts (a technique referred to as ensemble Kalman filtering) is examined in an idealized environment. Using a three-level, quasigeostrophic, T21 model and simulated observations, experiments are performed in a perfect-model context. By using forward interpolation operators from the model state to the observations, the ensemble Kalman filter is able to utilize nonconventional observations.
Data Assimilation by Ensemble Kalman Filter with the Lorenz Equations
Ciência e Natura, 2016
Data Assimilation is a procedure to get the initial condition as accurately as possible, through the statistical combination of collected observations and a background field, usually a short-range forecast. In this research a complete assimilation system for the Lorenz equations based on Ensemble Kalman Filter is presented and examined. The Lorenz model is chosen for its simplicity in structure and the dynamic similarities with primitive equations models, such as modern numerical weather forecasting. Based on results, was concluded that, in this implementation, 10 members is the best setting, because there is an overfitting for ensembles with 50 and 100 members. It was also examined if the EnKF is effective to track the control for 20% and 40% of error in the initial conditions. The results show a disagreement between the “truth” and the estimation, especially in the end of integration period, due the chaotic nature of the system. It was also concluded that EnKF have to be performe...
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 2009
An adaptive estimation of forecast error covariance matrices is proposed for Kalman filtering data assimilation. A forecast error covariance matrix is initially estimated using an ensemble of perturbation forecasts. This initially estimated matrix is then adjusted with scale parameters that are adaptively estimated by minimizing −2log-likelihood of observed-minus-forecast residuals. The proposed approach could be applied to Kalman filtering data assimilation with imperfect models when the model error statistics are not known. A simple nonlinear model (Burgers' equation model) is used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
A local ensemble Kalman filter for atmospheric data assimilation
Tellus A, 2004
A B S T R A C T In this paper, we introduce a new, local formulation of the ensemble Kalman filter approach for atmospheric data assimilation. Our scheme is based on the hypothesis that, when the Earth's surface is divided up into local regions of moderate size, vectors of the forecast uncertainties in such regions tend to lie in a subspace of much lower dimension than that of the full atmospheric state vector of such a region. Ensemble Kalman filters, in general, take the analysis resulting from the data assimilation to lie in the same subspace as the expected forecast error. Under our hypothesis the dimension of the subspace corresponding to local regions is low. This is used in our scheme to allow operations only on relatively low-dimensional matrices. The data assimilation analysis is performed locally in a manner allowing massively parallel computation to be exploited. The local analyses are then used to construct global states for advancement to the next forecast time. One advantage, which may take on more importance as ever-increasing amounts of remotely-sensed satellite data become available, is the favorable scaling of the computational cost of our method with increasing data size, as compared to other methods that assimilate data sequentially. The method, its potential advantages, properties, and implementation requirements are illustrated by numerical experiments on the Lorenz-96 model. It is found that accurate analysis can be achieved at a cost which is very modest compared to that of a full global ensemble Kalman filter.
An Iterative Ensemble Kalman Filter for Data Assimilation
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2007
The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a subject of intensive investigation for use as a reservoir management tool. For strongly nonlinear problems, however, EnKF can fail to achieve an acceptable data match at certain times in the assimilation process. Here, we provide iterative EnKF procedures to remedy this deficiency and explore the validity of these iterative methods compared to standard EnKF by considering two examples, one of which is pertains to a simple problem where the posterior probability density function has two modes. In both examples, we are able to obtain better data matches using iterative methods than with standard EnKF. In Appendix A, we enumerate the assumptions that must hold in order to show that EnKF provides a correct sampling of the probability distribution for the random variables. This derivation calls into question the common derivation in which one adds the data to the original combined state vector of model parameters and dynamical variables. In fact, it...
Iterative Ensemble Kalman Filters for Data Assimilation
SPE Journal, 2009
Summary The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a subject of intensive investigation for use as a reservoir management tool. For strongly nonlinear problems, however, the EnKF can fail to achieve an acceptable data match at certain times in the data assimilation process. Here, we provide two iterative EnKF procedures to remedy this deficiency and explore the validity of these iterative methods compared to the standard EnKF by considering two examples. In both examples, we are able to obtain better data matches using iterative methods than with the standard EnKF. The simplest derivation of the EnKF analysis equation "linearizes" the objective function by adding the vector of predicted data to the original combined state vector of model parameters and dynamical variables. We show that there is no assurance that this trick for turning a nonlinear problem into a linear problem results in a correct sampling of the pdf one wishes to sample. However, we show that augmenting the stat...
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 2013
Correctly estimating the forecast error covariance matrix is a key step in any data assimilation scheme. If it is not correctly estimated, the assimilated states could be far from the true states. A popular method to address this problem is error covariance matrix inflation. That is, to multiply the forecast error covariance matrix by an appropriate factor. In this paper, analysis states are used to construct the forecast error covariance matrix and an adaptive estimation procedure associated with the error covariance matrix inflation technique is developed. The proposed assimilation scheme was tested on the Lorenz-96 model and 2D Shallow Water Equation model, both of which are associated with spatially correlated observational systems. The experiments showed that by introducing the proposed structure of the forecast error covariance matrix and applying its adaptive estimation procedure, the assimilation results were further improved.
A Hybrid Ensemble Kalman Filter to Mitigate Non-Gaussianity in Nonlinear Data Assimilation
Kisho shushi. Dai1shu/Kisho shushi. Dai2shu/Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 2024
Research on particle filters has been progressing with the aim of applying them to high-dimensional systems, but alleviation of problems with ensemble Kalman filters (EnKFs) in nonlinear or non-Gaussian data assimilation is also an important issue. It is known that the deterministic EnKF is less robust than the stochastic EnKF in strongly nonlinear regimes. We prove that if the observation operator is linear the analysis ensemble perturbations of the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) are uniform contractions of the forecast ensemble perturbations in observation space in each direction of the eigenvectors of a forecast error covariance matrix. This property approximately holds for a weakly nonlinear observation operator. These results imply that if the forecast ensemble is strongly non-Gaussian the analysis ensemble of the LETKF is also strongly non-Gaussian, and that strong non-Gaussianity therefore tends to persist in high-frequency assimilation cycles, leading to the degradation of analysis accuracy in nonlinear data assimilation. A hybrid EnKF that combines the LETKF and the stochastic EnKF is proposed to mitigate non-Gaussianity in nonlinear data assimilation with small additional computational cost. The performance of the hybrid EnKF is investigated through data assimilation experiments using a 40-variable Lorenz-96 model. Results indicate that the hybrid EnKF significantly improves analysis accuracy in high-frequency data assimilation with a nonlinear observation operator. The positive impact of the hybrid EnKF increases with the increase of the ensemble size.
Monthly Weather Review, 2007
This dissertation examines the performance of an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) implemented in a mesoscale model in increasingly realistic contexts from under a perfect model assumption and in the presence of significant model error with synthetic observations to real-world data assimilation in comparison to the three-dimensional variational (3DVar) method via both case study and month-long experiments. The EnKF is shown to be promising for future application in operational data assimilation practice. The EnKF with synthetic observations, which is implemented in the mesoscale model MM5, is very effective in keeping the analysis close to the truth under the perfect model assumption. The EnKF is most effective in reducing larger-scale errors but less effective in reducing errors at smaller, marginally resolvable scales. In the presence of significant model errors from physical parameterization schemes, the EnKF performs reasonably well though sometimes it can be significantly degraded compared to its performance under the perfect model assumption. Using a combination of different physical parameterization schemes in the ensemble (the so-called "multi-scheme" ensemble) can significantly improve filter performance due to the resulting better background error covariance and a smaller ensemble bias. The EnKF performs differently for different flow regimes possibly due to scale- and flow-dependent error growth dynamics and predictability. Real-data (including soundings, profilers and surface observations) are assimilated by directly comparing the EnKF and 3DVar and both are implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model. A case study and month-long experiments show that the EnKF is efficient in tracking observations in terms of both prior forecast and posterior analysis. The EnKF performs consistently better than 3DVar for the time period of interest due to the benefit of the EnKF from both using ensemble mean for state estimation and using a flow-dependent background error covariance. Proper covariance inflation and using a multi-scheme ensemble can significantly improve the EnKF performance. Using a multi-scheme ensemble results in larger improvement in thermodynamic variables than in other variables. The 3DVar system can benefit substantially from using a short-term ensemble mean for state estimate. Noticeable improvement is also achieved in 3DVar by including some flow dependence in its background error covariance.
Ensemble member generation for sequential data assimilation
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2008
Using an ensemble of model forecasts to describe forecast error covariance extends linear sequential data assimilation schemes to nonlinear applications. This approach forms the basis of the Ensemble Kalman Filter and derivative filters such as the Ensemble Square Root Filter. While ensemble data assimilation approaches are commonly reported in the scientific literature, clear guidelines for effective ensemble member generation remain scarce. As the efficiency of the filter is reliant on the accurate determination of forecast error covariance from the ensemble, this paper describes an approach for the systematic determination of random error. Forecast error results from three factors: errors in initial condition, forcing data and model equations. The method outlined in this paper explicitly acknowledges each of these sources in the generation of an ensemble. The initial condition perturbation approach presented optimally spans the dynamic range of the model states and allows an appropriate ensemble size to be determined. The forcing data perturbation approach treats forcing observations differently according to their nature. While error from model physics is not dealt with in detail, discussion of some commonly used approaches and their limitations is provided. The paper concludes with an example application for a synthetic coastal hydrodynamic experiment assimilating sea surface temperature (SST) data, which shows better prediction capability when contrasted with standard approaches in the literature.