• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.523-540
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• 2016

The effects of satellite observations on large-scale atmospheric circulations in the reanalysis data are investigated by comparing the latest Japanese Meteorological Association's reanalysis data (JRA-55) and its family data, JRA-55 Conventional (JRA-55C). The latter is identical to the former except that satellite observations are excluded during the data assimilation process. Only conventional datasets are assimilated in JRA-55C. A simple comparison revealed a considerable difference in temperature and zonal wind fields in both the stratosphere and troposphere. Such differences are particularly large in the Southern Hemisphere and whole stratosphere where conventional ground-based measurements are limited. The effects of satellite observations on the zonal-mean tropospheric circulations are further examined in terms of the Hadley cell, eddy-driven jet, and mid-latitude storm tracks. In both hemispheres, JRA-55C exhibits slightly weaker and narrower Hadley cell than JRA-55. This is consistent with a weaker diabatic heating in JRA-55C. The eddy-driven jet shows a small difference in its latitudinal location only in the Southern Hemisphere. Likewise, while the Northern-Hemisphere storm tracks are quantitatively similar in the two datasets, Southern-Hemisphere storm tracks are relatively weaker in JRA-55C than in JRA-55. Their difference is comparable to the uncertainty between reanalysis datasets, indicating that satellite data assimilation could yield significant corrections in the zonal-mean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.