Enhancing Atmospheric Estimates via Surface Pressure Observation

Author(s):

Brian P. Reen

Abstract:

In applications where vertical profiles of weather data are required but numerical weather prediction (NWP) data and vertical profile observations are unavailable, meteorological profiles referred to as standard meteorology are often used. In 2024, Reen demonstrated that an easily obtainable observation (surface temperature) can be combined with a regional NWP climatology to create better temperature profile estimates than standard meteorology, and that making the NWP climatology season-specific provides better estimates than not accounting for season. These NWP climatology techniques that estimate temperature profiles are extended here to also provide estimated pressure and density profiles by leveraging a surface pressure observation. Pressure and density profile estimates created by these techniques are better estimates than the standard atmosphere profile; additionally, just as accounting for season was previously found to improve temperature estimates, using season-specific NWP climatology improves the pressure and density estimates. The revised technique provides a method to produce more accurate estimated temperature, pressure, and density profiles than those provided by standard meteorology by relying on two observations that can easily be made using inexpensive equipment in combination with regional NWP climatology.