A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation

Abstract Data‐driven weather prediction (DDWP) has made significant advancements in recent years. However, weather prediction using DDWPs still requires an accurate initial field as the input. To fulfill this requirement, the four‐dimensional variational (4DVar) approach can offer initial fields. Re...

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Main Authors: Wuxin Wang, Boheng Duan, Weicheng Ni, Jingze Lu, Taikang Yuan, Dawei Li, Juan Zhao, Kaijun Ren
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004437
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author Wuxin Wang
Boheng Duan
Weicheng Ni
Jingze Lu
Taikang Yuan
Dawei Li
Juan Zhao
Kaijun Ren
author_facet Wuxin Wang
Boheng Duan
Weicheng Ni
Jingze Lu
Taikang Yuan
Dawei Li
Juan Zhao
Kaijun Ren
author_sort Wuxin Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Data‐driven weather prediction (DDWP) has made significant advancements in recent years. However, weather prediction using DDWPs still requires an accurate initial field as the input. To fulfill this requirement, the four‐dimensional variational (4DVar) approach can offer initial fields. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of deep learning (DL)‐based methods in accelerating 4DVar. In this study, we propose a novel model called the 4DVar‐informed generative adversarial network (4DVarGAN), which combines prior knowledge from 4DVar with the conditional generative network (CGAN). We employ a CGAN to non‐iteratively solve the 4DVar cost function and utilize a cycle‐consistent adversarial learning framework for data augmentation. Additionally, we incorporate a 4DVar‐based adaptive adjustment to the output of the proposed model's analysis increment‐generating component, which promotes reasonable stabilization. Experimental results using 500 hPa geopotential fields from the WeatherBench data set demonstrate that our approach achieves a 73‐fold acceleration compared to the 4DVar implemented by the DDWP model. Furthermore, our model exhibits the lowest initial and forecast errors, outperforming state‐of‐the‐art DL‐based data assimilation (DA) methods. Moreover, our method demonstrates effective performance when starting from background fields of varying qualities, consistently achieving stable results. These findings highlight the potential of CGANs in enhancing the reliability of data‐driven DA by incorporating the prior knowledge of the 4DVar method.
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spelling doaj-art-ccb9c403125d4966b61bc5134183eb2c2025-08-20T03:23:51ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems1942-24662025-06-01176n/an/a10.1029/2024MS004437A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data AssimilationWuxin Wang0Boheng Duan1Weicheng Ni2Jingze Lu3Taikang Yuan4Dawei Li5Juan Zhao6Kaijun Ren7College of Computer Science and Technology National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Meteorology and Oceanography National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Meteorology and Oceanography National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Computer Science and Technology National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Meteorology and Oceanography National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Computer Science and Technology National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Meteorology and Oceanography National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaCollege of Computer Science and Technology National University of Defense Technology Changsha ChinaAbstract Data‐driven weather prediction (DDWP) has made significant advancements in recent years. However, weather prediction using DDWPs still requires an accurate initial field as the input. To fulfill this requirement, the four‐dimensional variational (4DVar) approach can offer initial fields. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of deep learning (DL)‐based methods in accelerating 4DVar. In this study, we propose a novel model called the 4DVar‐informed generative adversarial network (4DVarGAN), which combines prior knowledge from 4DVar with the conditional generative network (CGAN). We employ a CGAN to non‐iteratively solve the 4DVar cost function and utilize a cycle‐consistent adversarial learning framework for data augmentation. Additionally, we incorporate a 4DVar‐based adaptive adjustment to the output of the proposed model's analysis increment‐generating component, which promotes reasonable stabilization. Experimental results using 500 hPa geopotential fields from the WeatherBench data set demonstrate that our approach achieves a 73‐fold acceleration compared to the 4DVar implemented by the DDWP model. Furthermore, our model exhibits the lowest initial and forecast errors, outperforming state‐of‐the‐art DL‐based data assimilation (DA) methods. Moreover, our method demonstrates effective performance when starting from background fields of varying qualities, consistently achieving stable results. These findings highlight the potential of CGANs in enhancing the reliability of data‐driven DA by incorporating the prior knowledge of the 4DVar method.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004437data assimilationfour‐dimensional variationalgenerative adversarial neural networkcycle‐consistency
spellingShingle Wuxin Wang
Boheng Duan
Weicheng Ni
Jingze Lu
Taikang Yuan
Dawei Li
Juan Zhao
Kaijun Ren
A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
data assimilation
four‐dimensional variational
generative adversarial neural network
cycle‐consistency
title A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
title_full A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
title_fullStr A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
title_full_unstemmed A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
title_short A Four‐Dimensional Variational Informed Generative Adversarial Network for Data Assimilation
title_sort four dimensional variational informed generative adversarial network for data assimilation
topic data assimilation
four‐dimensional variational
generative adversarial neural network
cycle‐consistency
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004437
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