A Monte Carlo Implementation of the Nonlinear Filtering Problem to Produce Ensemble Assimilations and Forecasts

Abstract Knowledge of the probability distribution of initial conditions is central to almost all practical studies of predictability and to improvements in stochastic prediction of the atmosphere. Traditionally, data assimilation for atmospheric predictability or prediction experiments has attempted to find a single “best” estimate of the initial state. Additional information about the initial condition probability distribution is then obtained primarily through heuristic techniques that attempt to generate representative perturbations around the best estimate. However, a classical theory for generating an estimate of the complete probability distribution of an initial state given a set of observations exists. This nonlinear filtering theory can be applied to unify the data assimilation and ensemble generation problem and to produce superior estimates of the probability distribution of the initial state of the atmosphere (or ocean) on regional or global scales. A Monte Carlo implementation of the fully n...