scholarly journals Improving Ensemble Forecasting Using Total Least Squares and Lead-Time Dependent Bias Correction

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Jabbari ◽  
Deg-Hyo Bae

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models produce a quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF), which is vital for a wide range of applications, especially for accurate flash flood forecasting. The under- and over-estimation of forecast uncertainty pose operational risks and often encourage overly conservative decisions to be made. Since NWP models are subject to many uncertainties, the QPFs need to be post-processed. The NWP biases should be corrected prior to their use as a reliable data source in hydrological models. In recent years, several post-processing techniques have been proposed. However, there is a lack of research on post-processing the real-time forecast of NWP models considering bias lead-time dependency for short- to medium-range forecasts. The main objective of this study is to use the total least squares (TLS) method and the lead-time dependent bias correction method—known as dynamic weighting (DW)—to post-process forecast real-time data. The findings show improved bias scores, a decrease in the normalized error and an improvement in the scatter index (SI). A comparison between the real-time precipitation and flood forecast relative bias error shows that applying the TLS and DW methods reduced the biases of real-time forecast precipitation. The results for real-time flood forecasts for the events of 2002, 2007 and 2011 show error reductions and accuracy improvements of 78.58%, 81.26% and 62.33%, respectively.

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Jabbari ◽  
Deg-Hyo Bae

Hydrometeorological forecasts provide future flooding estimates to reduce damages. Despite the advances and progresses in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models, they are still subject to many uncertainties, which cause significant errors forecasting precipitation. Statistical postprocessing techniques can improve forecast skills by reducing the systematic biases in NWP models. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) can model complex relationships between input and output data. The application of ANN in water-related research is widely studied; however, there is a lack of studies quantifying the improvement of coupled hydrometeorological model accuracy that use ANN for bias correction of real-time rainfall forecasts. The aim of this study is to evaluate the real-time bias correction of precipitation data, and from a hydrometeorological point of view, an assessment of hydrological model improvements in real-time flood forecasting for the Imjin River (South and North Korea) is performed. The comparison of the forecasted rainfall before and after the bias correction indicated a significant improvement in the statistical error measurement and a decrease in the underestimation of WRF model. The error was reduced remarkably over the Imjin catchment for the accumulated Mean Areal Precipitation (MAP). The performance of the real-time flood forecast improved using the ANN bias correction method.


Author(s):  
Amar Deep Tiwari ◽  
Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Vimal Mishra

AbstractThe efforts to develop a hydrologic model-based operational streamflow forecast in India are limited. We evaluate the role of bias correction of meteorological forecast and streamflow post-processing on hydrological prediction skill in India. We use the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model to simulate runoff and root zone soil moisture in the Narmada basin (drainage area: 97,410 km2), which was used as a testbed to examine the forecast skill along with the observed streamflow. We evaluated meteorological and hydrological forecasts during the monsoon (June-September) season for 2000-2018 period. The raw meteorological forecast displayed relatively low skill against the observed precipitation at 1-3 day lead time during the monsoon season. Similarly, the forecast skill was low with mean normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE) more than 0.9 and mean absolute bias larger than 60% for extreme precipitation at the 1-3-day lead time. We used Empirical Quantile Mapping (EQM) to bias correct precipitation forecast. The bias correction of precipitation forecast resulted in significant improvement in the precipitation forecast skill. Runoff and root zone soil moisture forecast was also significantly improved due to bias correction of precipitation forecast where the forecast evaluation is performed against the reference model run. However, bias correction of precipitation forecast did not cause considerable improvement in the streamflow prediction. Bias correction of streamflow forecast performs better than the streamflow forecast simulated using the bias-corrected meteorological forecast. The combination of the bias correction of precipitation forecast and post-processing of streamflow resulted in a significant improvement in the streamflow prediction (reduction in bias from 40% to 5%).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Ulbrich ◽  
Christian Welzbacher ◽  
Kobra Khosravianghadikolaei ◽  
Michael Hoff ◽  
Alberto de Lozar ◽  
...  

<p>The SINFONY project at Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) aims to produce seamless precipitation forecast products from minutes up to 12 hours, with particular focus on convective events. While the near future predictions are typically from nowcasting procedures using radar data, the numerical weather prediction (NWP) aims at longer time scales. The lead-time in the latest available forecast is usually too long for merging both the nowcasting and NWP output to produce reliable seamless predictions.</p><p>At DWD, the current forecasts are produced by the short range numerical weather prediction (SRNWP) <span>making use of a</span> continuous assimilation cycle with relatively long cutoff times and using 1-moment microphysics. In order to reduce the differences in the precipitation to the <span>nowcasting </span>on the NWP side, we use two different approaches. First, we reduce the lead-time from the model start by running 1-hourly forecasts based on an assimilation cycle with shorter data cutoff. Secondly, we use new observational systems in the assimilation cycle, such as radar or satellite data to capture and represent strong convective activity. This procedure is called Rapid Update Cycle (RUC). As an additional measure, we introduce a 2-Moment microphysics scheme into the numerical model, resulting in a better representation of the radar reflectivities. In order to keep the model state similar to that of the SRNWP, the RUC is a time limited assimilation cycle starting from forecasts of the SRNWP at pre-defined times.</p><p>The introduction of the 2-Moment scheme leads to a spin-up affecting both the assimilation cycle and the short forecasts. The resulting effects are analysed by comparison with the corresponding assimilation cycle using the 1-Moment scheme. As a complementary approach for the analysis, the routine cycle is run with the 2-Moment scheme. The forecast quality is used as a measure to compare the results with respect to precipitation and additional observed parameters. It is shown in how far the resulting improvements are related to the assimilation and momentum scheme, or to the higher frequency of forecasts.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari-Pekka Nousu ◽  
Matthieu Lafaysse ◽  
Matthieu Vernay ◽  
Joseph Bellier ◽  
Guillaume Evin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Forecasting the height of new snow (HN) is crucial for avalanche hazard forecasting, road viability, ski resort management and tourism attractiveness. Météo-France operates the PEARP-S2M probabilistic forecasting system, including 35 members of the PEARP Numerical Weather Prediction system, where the SAFRAN downscaling tool refines the elevation resolution and the Crocus snowpack model represents the main physical processes in the snowpack. It provides better HN forecasts than direct NWP diagnostics but exhibits significant biases and underdispersion. We applied a statistical post-processing to these ensemble forecasts, based on non-homogeneous regression with a censored shifted Gamma distribution. Observations come from manual measurements of 24 h HN in the French Alps and Pyrenees. The calibration is tested at the station scale and the massif scale (i.e. aggregating different stations over areas of 1000 km2). Compared to the raw forecasts, similar improvements are obtained for both spatial scales. Therefore, the post-processing can be applied at any point of the massifs. Two training datasets are tested: (1) a 22-year homogeneous reforecast for which the NWP model resolution and physical options are identical to the operational system but without the same initial perturbations; (2) 3-year real-time forecasts with a heterogeneous model configuration but the same perturbation methods. The impact of the training dataset depends on lead time and on the evaluation criteria. The long-term reforecast improves the reliability of severe snowfall but leads to overdispersion due to the discrepancy in real-time perturbations. Thus, the development of reliable automatic forecasting products of HN needs long reforecasts as homogeneous as possible with the operational systems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Mee Kim ◽  
Sung-Min Kim ◽  
Byoung-Joo Jung

Abstract In this study, structures of real-time adaptive observation guidance provided by Yonsei University (YSU) in South Korea during The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX)-Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC) are presented and compared with those of no-lead-time adaptive observation guidance recalculated as well as other adaptive observation guidance for a tropical cyclone (Jangmi 200815). During the T-PARC period, real-time dry total energy (TE) singular vectors (SVs) based on the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) and the corresponding tangent linear and adjoint models with a Lanczos algorithm are provided by YSU to help determine sensitive regions for targeted observations. While YSU provided the real-time TESV guidance based on a mesoscale model, other institutes provided real-time TESV guidance based on global models. The overall features of the real-time MM5 TESVs were similar to those generated from global models, showing influences from tropical cyclones, midlatitude troughs, and subtropical ridges. TESV structures are very sensitive to verification region and forecast lead time. If a more accurate basic-state trajectory with no lead time is used, more accurate TESVs, which yield more accurate determinations of sensitive regions for targeted observations, may be calculated. The results of this study may imply that reducing forecast lead time is an important component to obtaining better sensitivity guidance for real-time targeted observation operations.


Author(s):  
Aida Jabbari ◽  
Jae-Min So ◽  
Deg-Hyo Bae

Abstract. Hydro-meteorological predictions are important for water management plans, which include providing early flood warnings and preventing flood damages. This study evaluates the real-time precipitation of an atmospheric model at the point and catchment scales to select the proper hydrological model to couple with the atmospheric model. Furthermore, a variety of tests were conducted to quantify the accuracy assessments of coupled models to provide details on the maximum spatial and temporal resolutions and lead times in a real-time forecasting system. As a major limitation of previous studies, the temporal and spatial resolutions of the hydrological model are smaller than those of the meteorological model. Here, through ultra-fine scale of temporal (10 min) and spatial resolution (1 km × 1 km), we determined the optimal resolution. A numerical weather prediction model and a rainfall runoff model were employed to evaluate real-time flood forecasting for the Imjin River (South and North Korea). The comparison of the forecasted precipitation and the observed precipitation indicated that the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model underestimated precipitation. The skill of the model was relatively higher for the catchment than for the point scale, as illustrated by the lower RMSE value, which is important for a semi-distributed hydrological model. The variations in temporal and spatial resolutions illustrated a decrease in accuracy; additionally, the optimal spatial resolution obtained at 8 km and the temporal resolution did not affect the inherent inaccuracy of the results. Lead time variation demonstrated that lead time dependency was almost negligible below 36 h. With reference to our case study, comparisons of model performance provided quantitative knowledge for understanding the credibility and restrictions of hydro-meteorological models.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 1011-1030
Author(s):  
Hanoi Medina ◽  
Di Tian

Abstract. Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) forecasts play an important role in agricultural, environmental, and water management. This study evaluated probabilistic post-processing approaches, including the nonhomogeneous Gaussian regression (NGR), affine kernel dressing (AKD), and Bayesian model averaging (BMA) techniques, for improving daily and weekly ET0 forecasting based on single or multiple numerical weather predictions (NWPs) from the THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE), which includes the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS), and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO) forecasts. The approaches were examined for the forecasting of summer ET0 at 101 US Regional Climate Reference Network stations distributed all over the contiguous United States (CONUS). We found that the NGR, AKD, and BMA methods greatly improved the skill and reliability of the ET0 forecasts compared with a linear regression bias correction method, due to the considerable adjustments in the spread of ensemble forecasts. The methods were especially effective when applied over the raw NCEP forecasts, followed by the raw UKMO forecasts, because of their low skill compared with that of the raw ECMWF forecasts. The post-processed weekly forecasts had much lower rRMSE values (between 8 % and 11 %) than the persistence-based weekly forecasts (22 %) and the post-processed daily forecasts (between 13 % and 20 %). Compared with the single-model ensemble, ET0 forecasts based on ECMWF multi-model ensemble ET0 forecasts showed higher skill at shorter lead times (1 or 2 d) and over the southern and western regions of the US. The improvement was higher at a daily timescale than at a weekly timescale. The NGR and AKD methods showed the best performance; however, unlike the AKD method, the NGR method can post-process multi-model forecasts and is easier to interpret than the other methods. In summary, this study demonstrated that the three probabilistic approaches generally outperform conventional procedures based on the simple bias correction of single-model forecasts, with the NGR post-processing of the ECMWF and ECMWF–UKMO forecasts providing the most cost-effective ET0 forecasting.


Author(s):  
Takashi Mochio

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the real time vibration control of an actively-controlled nonlinear structure due to non-stationary external loads. When the optimal control theory is adopted as a control law against the concerned task, the derivation of time dependent optimal control gains may be required because of a remarkable non-stationarity of response amplitude. In addition, since the system is nonlinear, it takes more time to calculate those time dependent gains. This means that it is difficult to strictly execute the real time active control with optimal control theory as for the non-stationary and nonlinear system. In this paper, therefore, one approximate technique, coupled fuzzy-optimal control, is proposed in order to realize the real time control of non-stationary and nonlinear system. Finally, results by deterministic analysis based on numerical simulations are compared with those by stochastic analysis using statistical equivalent linearization technique.


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