The goals of the collaborative project are:
• Refine methods for assimilation of precipitation and radiances with the goal of reducing the water and energy budget imbalances during the assimilation procedure
• Conduct a 5-year pilot-phase reanalysis for the period 1998-2002, to test and optimize data stream organization and the geographic domain and assimilating model choices. The short, modern period reanalysis will be evaluated from intercomparisons with satellite observations (e.g., TRMM) and state-of-the-art global analysis (e.g., ERA40); and the assimilating technique refined as necessary.
• Develop high-resolution SST analysis for the Indian ocean from satellite and in-situ observations, including moorings, drifters and Argo floats
• Design techniques for assimilation of aerosols
• Improve state estimation of the Northern Indian Ocean from refined surface circulation and heat-flux estimates produced by the regional atmospheric reanalysis
• Generate a dynamics-thermodynamics consistent, high spatio-temporal resolution (≤30 Km, ≤3 hours) climate data set from retrospective analysis of in-situ and remotely sensed ocean-atmosphere observations for the 1979-2006 period over the South Asian Monsoon land-ocean region.