Interface observations refer to observations that are sensitive to multiple Earth system components, including atmosphere, land, sea ice, snow, and the ocean. They are key for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and reanalysis. In a coupled data assimilation framework, used in Earth system approaches, satellite-sensed interface observations have the unique potential to simultaneously constrain the various Earth system components, providing consistent initial and boundary conditions to Earth system prediction models.
The goals of this workshop are to:
– Provide an overview of the various interface observations which are available to the NWP community, as well as of the forward models which are being developed or are already in use to exploit this type of observations;
– Assess the state-of-the-art on the use of interface observations both in retrievals and in coupled data assimilation systems;
– Understand the direction in which the scientific community is taking this important and complex problem.