Homogenization of the Global Radiosonde Temperature Dataset through Combined Comparison with Reanalysis Background Series and Neighboring Stations

Abstract This article describes progress in the homogenization of global radiosonde temperatures with updated versions of the Radiosonde Observation Correction Using Reanalyses (RAOBCORE) and Radiosonde Innovation Composite Homogenization (RICH) software packages. These are automated methods to homogenize the global radiosonde temperature dataset back to 1958. The break dates are determined from analysis of time series of differences between radiosonde temperatures (obs) and background forecasts (bg) of climate data assimilation systems used for the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and the ongoing interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim). RAOBCORE uses the obs−bg time series also for estimating the break sizes. RICH determines the break sizes either by comparing the observations of a tested time series with observations of neighboring radiosonde time series (RICH-obs) or by comparing their background departures (RICH-τ). Consequently RAOBCORE results may be influenced by inhomogeneities in the bg, whereas break size estimation with RICH-obs is independent of the bg. The adjustment quality of RICH-obs, on the other hand, may suffer from large interpolation errors at remote stations. RICH-τ is a compromise that substantially reduces interpolation errors at the cost of slight dependence on the bg. Adjustment uncertainty is estimated by comparing the three methods and also by varying parameters in RICH. The adjusted radiosonde time series are compared with recent temperature datasets based on (Advanced) Microwave Sounding Unit (A)MSU radiances. The overall spatiotemporal consistency of the homogenized dataset has improved compared to earlier versions, particularly in the presatellite era. Vertical profiles of temperature trends are more consistent with satellite data as well.