5 Questions
What can help fill in the gaps of upper-air data?
Satellite measurements
What is a limitation of computer models?
They are limited to certain spots on the virtual Earth
What is the purpose of using multiple models to make a better forecast?
To make use of the strengths and limitations of each model
What is one way in which errors can get introduced into computer models?
Rounding numbers
What is the main purpose of computer models?
To simulate weather patterns
Study Notes
- Observational errors can creep into computer models' initializations due to imperfect measurements and uneven distribution of data.
- Weather balloons help provide some upper-air data, but there are few sites where they're launched and large gaps exist between observation sites.
- Satellite measurements help fill in the gaps of the upper-air data, but they're expensive and there are few of them.
- Weather models must simulate the atmosphere in three dimensions, so they need initialization data for conditions above the surface of the Earth.
- Initialization errors in computer models can rapidly grow, leading to wildly inaccurate predictions.
- Other errors get introduced into computer models during the calculations themselves, such as rounding numbers and skipped calculations.
- Making the model's time step shorter reduces the amount of error, but requires more computing power.
- Computer models perform their calculations only at certain spots on the virtual Earth, and then interpolate the results to cover the whole globe, further introducing error.
- Computer models are used to simulate weather patterns.
- Each model has its own strengths and limitations.
- Meteorologists use many models to make a better forecast.
- Model forecasts are imperfect, but they are still very useful.
Test your knowledge about the errors and limitations in computer weather models. Learn about observational errors, data gaps, initialization errors, and computational limitations.
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