Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)

High-resolution radar observations are essential to improving the numerical predictions of high-impact weather systems with data assimilation techniques. The numerical simulations of the landfall of Typhoon Lekima (2019) are conducted in the framework of the WRF model, investigating the impact of as...

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Main Authors: Jiping Guan, Jiajun Chen, Xinya Li, Mengting Liu, Mingyang Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2258
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author Jiping Guan
Jiajun Chen
Xinya Li
Mengting Liu
Mingyang Zhang
author_facet Jiping Guan
Jiajun Chen
Xinya Li
Mengting Liu
Mingyang Zhang
author_sort Jiping Guan
collection DOAJ
description High-resolution radar observations are essential to improving the numerical predictions of high-impact weather systems with data assimilation techniques. The numerical simulations of the landfall of Typhoon Lekima (2019) are conducted in the framework of the WRF model, investigating the impact of assimilating radar radial velocity observations via the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the typhoon’s analysis and forecast performance. The results demonstrate that the EnKF method significantly improves forecast accuracy for Typhoon Lekima, including track, intensity and the 24 h cumulative precipitation. To be specific, the control experiment significantly underestimated typhoon intensity, while EnKF-based radar radial velocity assimilation markedly improved near-surface winds (>48 m/s) in the typhoon core, refined vortex structure and reduced track forecast errors by 50–60%. Compared with the control and 3DVAR experiments, EnKF assimilation better captured typhoon precipitation patterns, with the highest ETS scores, especially for moderate-to-high precipitation intensities. Moreover, the detailed analysis and diagnostics of Lekima show that the warm core structure is better captured in the assimilation experiment. The typhoon system is also improved, as reflected by enhanced potential temperature and a more robust wind field analysis.
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spelling doaj-art-9519f82b467c46239d9de05d65cc635f2025-08-20T03:29:00ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-06-011713225810.3390/rs17132258Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)Jiping Guan0Jiajun Chen1Xinya Li2Mengting Liu3Mingyang Zhang4School of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaSchool of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaSchool of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaHigh-resolution radar observations are essential to improving the numerical predictions of high-impact weather systems with data assimilation techniques. The numerical simulations of the landfall of Typhoon Lekima (2019) are conducted in the framework of the WRF model, investigating the impact of assimilating radar radial velocity observations via the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the typhoon’s analysis and forecast performance. The results demonstrate that the EnKF method significantly improves forecast accuracy for Typhoon Lekima, including track, intensity and the 24 h cumulative precipitation. To be specific, the control experiment significantly underestimated typhoon intensity, while EnKF-based radar radial velocity assimilation markedly improved near-surface winds (>48 m/s) in the typhoon core, refined vortex structure and reduced track forecast errors by 50–60%. Compared with the control and 3DVAR experiments, EnKF assimilation better captured typhoon precipitation patterns, with the highest ETS scores, especially for moderate-to-high precipitation intensities. Moreover, the detailed analysis and diagnostics of Lekima show that the warm core structure is better captured in the assimilation experiment. The typhoon system is also improved, as reflected by enhanced potential temperature and a more robust wind field analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2258typhoon forecastEnKFradar radial velocitydata assimilation
spellingShingle Jiping Guan
Jiajun Chen
Xinya Li
Mengting Liu
Mingyang Zhang
Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
Remote Sensing
typhoon forecast
EnKF
radar radial velocity
data assimilation
title Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
title_full Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
title_fullStr Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
title_short Impacts of the Assimilation of Radar Radial Velocity Data Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) on the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)
title_sort impacts of the assimilation of radar radial velocity data using the ensemble kalman filter enkf on the analysis and forecast of typhoon lekima 2019
topic typhoon forecast
EnKF
radar radial velocity
data assimilation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2258
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