Comprehensive Homogenisation of Radiosonde Observations

Comprehensive homogenisation of radiosonde temperature, wind and humidity observations all over the globe and as far back as possible (1930s in some cases). This work is an important component of global reanalysis efforts that aim to provide temporally homogeneous gridded fields of atmospheric parameters back to the early 20th century. It is conducted  in cooperation with ECMWF, ETH Zurich UK MetOffice and other international institutions.

Homogenisation methods in general

Diagnostic evaluations of the global atmospheric energy cycle, with emphasis on the temporal evolution of the energy transports, such as zonal mean horizontal fluxes. See also research project Atmospheric Energy Transports.

Researcher:

• Leopold Haimberger
• Michael Blaschek

Projects:

• Copernicus

Publications:

• Hersbach, H., S. Brönnimann, L. Haimberger, M. Mayer, L. Villiger, J. Comeaux, A. Simmons, D. Dee, S. Jourdain, C. Peubey, P. Poli, N. Rayner, A. Sterin, A. Stickler, M. A. Valente, S. Worley, 2017: The potential value of early (1939-1967) upper-air data in atmospheric climate reanalysis. Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.
• Milan, M., and L. Haimberger (2015), Predictors and grouping for bias correction of radiosonde temperature observations, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120, 10,736–10,766, doi:10.1002/2015JD023635.
• Ramella Pralungo, L., and L. Haimberger, 2015: New estimates of tropical mean temperature trend profiles from zonal mean historical radiosonde and pilot balloon wind shear observations, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120, 3700–3713.
• Ramella-Pralungo, L.R., Haimberger, L., Stickler, A., Brönnimann, S., 2014: A global radiosonde and tracked balloon archive on 16 pressure levels (GRASP) back to 1905 - Part 1: Merging and interpolation to 00:00 and 12:00 GMT. Earth System Science Data, 6, 185-200.
• L. Ramella Pralungo and L. Haimberger, 2014: A "Global Radiosonde and tracked-balloon Archive on Sixteen Pressure levels" (GRASP) going back to 1905 – Part 2: homogeneity adjustments for pilot balloon and radiosonde wind data. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 6, 297–316. doi:10.5194/essd-6-297-2014
• Haimberger, L., C. Tavolato and S. Sperka, 2008: Towards elimination of the warm bias in historic radiosonde temperature records - some new results from a comprehensive intercomparison of upper air data, J. Climate 21, 4587-4606.
• Haimberger, L., C. Tavolato, and S. Sperka, 2012: Homogenization of the global radiosonde temperature dataset through combined comparison with reanalysis background series and neighboring stations. J. Climate 25, 8108–8131
• Grant, A. N. and Brönnimann, S. and Haimberger, L., 2008: Recent Arctic warming vertical structure contested, Nature, 455, E2-E3.
• Santer, B., P. Thorne, L. Haimberger, K. Taylor, T. Wigley, J. Lanzante, S. Solomon, M. Free, P. Gleckler, P. Jones, T. Karl, S. Klein, C. Mears, G. Schmidt, D. Seidel, S. Sherwood, and F. Wentz, 2008: Consistency of modelled and observed temperature trends in the tropical troposphere. Int. J. Climatol., 28,  1703–1722.
• Haimberger, L., 2007: Homogenization of radiosonde temperature time series using innovation statistics. J. Climate 20, 1377-1403.

Pictures: Temperature trends at radiosonde stations in K / 10a at 300 hPa in the period 1954-1974. Only stations with more than 19 years data in this period are considered. a) Before homogenization, b) after homogenization.