Impact of Satellite Observations on NWP

COMET

2025

30 Min

Introduction:


This lesson covers how satellite observations inform numerical weather prediction models. It begins with a basic overview of what satellite data types are assimilated and how, and ends with an overview of how data from new instrument’s may make it into a model.This lesson is a part of the NWS Satellite Foundational Course for GOES-R.More in-depth discussions and a quiz on the impacts of satellite observations on NWP can be found in the COMET lesson, How Satellite Observations Impact NWP.

Objectives:


  • Describe the impact of satellite observations on NWP model analyses and forecasts     
  • Identify the primary types of environmental satellites that provide observations to data assimilation (DA) systems and NWP models
  • Describe how observations from new satellite instruments are vetted for use in DA systems
  • Describe the process of assimilating satellite observations and retrievals once they have been accepted for use in DA systems.

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