Spaceborne L-Band Radiometry in Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’S Numerical Analysis and Prediction Systems

Spaceborne L-Band observations have been included in the Canadian Land Data Assimilation System (CaLDAS). The impact of these measurements on land surface analyses, hydrological forecasts, and numerical weather prediction has been investigated. Results indicate that the assimilation of L-Band brightness temperature leads to substantially better soil moisture analyses and hydrological forecasts, compared with control experiments in which only screen-level observations are used. The impact on numerical weather prediction is more mixed, with reduced errors at the surface for most regions of the world, but larger errors in the atmospheric boundary layer.