Past Opportunities

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JCSDA Seeks 2 Experienced Scientists for ATMS and CrIS Data Assimilation and OSSE Efforts

The U.S. Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) is dedicated to accelerating the transition of new sensors into U.S. operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. The instruments onboard the future JPSS mission (and the more imminently upcoming NPP mission) will serve as the U.S. next-generation polar-based sensors. Major improvements are expected in terms of measurement accuracy, spectral and spatial resolution, with an unprecedented set of challenges associated with them. These challenges include technical aspects such as making sure the network bandwidth, the computing power and the storage space are sufficient to handle these data, but also include scientific aspects such as the optimal usage of the data, the proper extension of assimilation and radiative models and algorithms to tackle the new data. The challenges also include modeling advances that take advantage of the new sensors.

A number of these sensors (CrIS and ATMS for instance) will initially complement but ultimately replace a set of current sensors (AIRS/IASI, AMSU/MHS respectively) that have demonstrated an important role in the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) assimilation models and have shown that the forecast skills will degrade significantly if these data are no longer assimilated. The JCSDA is seeking experienced scientists who will complement the data assimilation efforts of the ATMS and CrIS sensors. These scientists are to be hired as contractors or visiting scientists by a NOAA/NESDIS contracting company or by one of NOAA/NESDIS cooperative institutes).

The efforts will aim at fully preparing the NOAA NWP global assimilation and forecast system (GDAS) for the assimilation of the NPP/JPSS ATMS and CrIS data, within the infrastructure of the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) and/or the NESDIS/STAR infrastructure. Part of these efforts will focus on performing Observing Systems Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) using CrIS and ATMS proxy data already produced by NESDIS. This will assess the expected impact of these sensors on global forecast skills.