A Pilot Reanalysis Project at COLA

Results are presented from a retrospective analysis of 19 months (May 1982-November 1983) of global atmospheric observations. The National Meteorological Center Global Data Assimilation System was used in tandem with the atmospheric general circulation model of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies to produce four-times-daily representations of the global atmosphere. Statistics were compiled regarding the use of data by the analysis and the decisions of the quality control procedures. Comparison of the reanalyses with both observation and the archived contemporaneous analyses showed substantial improvements in the representation of the global atmospheric circulation, possibly excepting the Southern Hemisphere south of 60 degrees S. A list of data products from the reanalysis is given in an appendix.