The Advantages of Hybrid 4DEnVar in the Context of the Forecast Sensitivity to Initial Conditions

Hybrid four‐dimensional ensemble variational data assimilation (hybrid 4DEnVar) is a prospective successor to three‐dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVar) in operational weather prediction centers currently developing a new weather prediction model and those that do not operate adjoint models. In experiments using real observations, hybrid 4DEnVar improved Northern Hemisphere (NH; 20°N–90°N) 500 hPa geopotential height forecasts up to 5 days in a NH summer month compared to 3DVar, with statistical significance. This result is verified against ERA‐Interim through a Monte Carlo test. By a regression analysis, the sensitivity of 5 day forecast is associated with the quality of the initial condition. The increased analysis skill for midtropospheric midlatitude temperature and subtropical moisture has the most apparent effect on forecast skill in the NH including a typhoon prediction case. Through attributing the analysis improvements by hybrid 4DEnVar separately to the ensemble background error covariance (BEC), its four‐dimensional (4‐D) extension, and climatological BEC, it is revealed that the ensemble BEC contributes to the subtropical moisture analysis, whereas the 4‐D extension does to the midtropospheric midlatitude temperature. This result implies that hourly wind‐mass correlation in 6 h analysis window is required to extract the potential of hybrid 4DEnVar for the midlatitude temperature analysis to the maximum. However, the temporal ensemble correlation, in hourly time scale, between moisture and another variable is invalid so that it could not work for improving the hybrid 4DEnVar analysis. Key Points The improved analyses of subtropical moisture and midlatitude temperature enhance forecast skills including a typhoon prediction Ensemble correlation between moisture and another variable is applicable instantaneously Midlatitude temperature information can be better extracted by the ensemble correlation extended to 6 h window