Characteristics and Performance of the Operational Wind Profiler Network of the Japan Meteorological Agency

Abstract

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) started the operation of a wind profiler network, the WInd profiler Network and Data Acquisition System (WINDAS), in April 2001. The WINDAS is a network consisting of thirty-one 1.3 GHz-band wind profilers, with dense spatial resolution of 130 km on the average over the main islands of Japan. Operated with high data accuracy, under strict data quality control and high data availability, from reliable system operation. Height coverages of wind measurement are 6-7 km in summer, 3-4 km in winter and 5.3 km on the average through a year. The main purpose of the operation of WINDAS is to provide upper-air wind data to the numerical weather prediction (NWP) of the JMA, particularly to the hydrostatic (till 2004) and non-hydrostatic (from 2004) mesocale numerical model (MSM). The WINDAS data are assimilated into the MSM using a full forecast-analysis system, with 4-dimensional variational method. From statistical analyses and some case studies, it was conformed that the WINDAS data has contributed to improve accuracy of the MSM for mesoscale weather systems, particularly for heavy rainfall events. Being put on GTS, the wind data are distributed to the world in real-time. Although a problem of data contamination from migrating birds had occurred in the first year of the operation of the WINDAS, it was practically solved by developing a removal algorithm.

Mixing Depth Estimation from Operational JMA and KMA Wind-Profiler Data and its Preliminary Applications: Examples from Four Selected Sites

“…In the quality-control stage, quadratic surface check and vertical shear check are applied to the data. Refer to Ishihara et al (2006) for more specific information on the signal processing, and data processing, data quality controls of the WINDAS.…”

Accuracy of the Wind Speed Profile in the Lower PBL as Simulated by the WRF Model

“…Using the WRF model, Shimada and Ohsawa (2011) calculated annual mean wind speeds in the coastal area around Shirahama in Tanabe Bay, Japan, and showed that the simulated surface wind speed has a large positive bias at the Shirahama offshore research platform. They also showed that the positive bias is found not only at the surface but also in the lower part of the planetary boundary layer (PBL), from comparison with wind profiler measurements at Mihama, which is an observation station of the WInd profiler Network and Data Acquisition System (WINDAS) operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) (Ishihara et al 2006).…”

Estimation of Raindrop Size Distribution and Rainfall Rate from Polarimetric Radar Measurements at Attenuating Frequency Based on the Self-Consistency Principle

“…3, was removed and filled with observation data in the profiles used in this evaluation because a radar system adjustment was applied in August 2011. The type of precipitation was determined from wind profiler measurements at Kumagaya, which was a part of the WInd profiler Network and Data Acquisition System (WINDAS; Ishihara et al 2006), using the method proposed by Williams et al (1995).…”