Reanalyses and Observations: What's the Difference?

Parker, Wendy S.

doi:10.1175/bams-d-14-00226.1

Reanalyses and Observations: What's the Difference?

Parker, Wendy S.

Authors

Wendy S. Parker

Abstract

Are there important differences between reanalysis data and familiar observations and measurements? If so, what are they? This essay evaluates four possible answers that relate to: the role of inference, reliance on forecasts, the need to solve an ill-posed inverse problem, and understanding of errors and uncertainties. The last of these is argued to be most significant. The importance of characterizing uncertainties associated with results—whether those results are observations or measurements, analyses or reanalyses, or forecasts—is emphasized.

Citation

Parker, W. S. (2016). Reanalyses and Observations: What's the Difference?. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97(9), 1565-1572. https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-14-00226.1

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Dec 18, 2015
Online Publication Date	Oct 18, 2016
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2016
Deposit Date	Feb 1, 2017
Publicly Available Date	Apr 18, 2017
Journal	Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Print ISSN	0003-0007
Electronic ISSN	1520-0477
Publisher	American Meteorological Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	97
Issue	9
Pages	1565-1572
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-14-00226.1