An operational analysis system for screen-level temperature and dew-point has been developed for the Australian region. Amongst its many intended uses are (i) to improve temperature profile retrievals from the operational TOVS (TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder) system, (ii) to provide initial surface conditions for the regional forecast model and (iii) to assist with regional forecasting problems (e.g. fire weather). Analyses of mean sea level pressure, screen-level temperature and dew-point are performed every three hours (2300 UTC, 0200 UTC, etc.) on a 1° x 1° latitude-longitude grid over the domain 45°S to 10°S, 110°E to 155°E. Examination of the analyses indicates that they are consistent with the low-level flow field, and provide a realistic representation of the observations. They are shown to delineate sharp discontinuities in the temperature and moisture fields, and to provide superior initial surface conditions for the regional forecast model than are currently available.
Keenan et al. (Mon,) studied this question.