JRA-55: Japanese 55-year Reanalysis, Monthly Means and Variances ...

• Main Author: Japan Meteorological Agency/Japan
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: UCAR/NCAR - Research Data Archive 2013
• Subjects: EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Air Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Hydrosphere > Snow/Ice > Snow Depth; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Precipitable Water; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Hydrostatic Pressure; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Surface Pressure; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Vorticity; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Altitude > Geopotential Height; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Upper Level Winds; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Surface Winds; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Streamfunctions; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Vertical Wind Motion; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Humidity; EARTH SCIENCE > Hydrosphere > Snow/Ice > Snow Water Equivalent; EARTH SCIENCE > Land Surface > Soils > Soil Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Surface Air Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Dew Point Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Convergence/Divergence; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Potential Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Liquid Water/Ice; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Amount/Frequency; EARTH SCIENCE > Land Surface > Topography > Surface Roughness; EARTH SCIENCE > Spectral/Engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Brightness Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Sea Ice > Ice Extent; EARTH SCIENCE > Land Surface > Land Use/Land Cover > Land Cover; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Evaporation; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Precipitation > Precipitation Amount; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Heat Flux; EARTH SCIENCE > Hydrosphere > Surface Water > Runoff; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Atmospheric Stability; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Canopy Characteristics; EARTH SCIENCE > Land Surface > Land Temperature > Land Surface Temperature; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Sea Level Pressure; EARTH SCIENCE > Land Surface > Soils > Soil Moisture/Water Content; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Vegetation Species; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Heat Budget > Heat Flux; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Gravity Wave; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Shortwave Radiation; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Longwave Radiation; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Evapotranspiration; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Atmospheric Heating; EARTH SCIENCE > Atmosphere > Precipitation > Precipitation Rate; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5065/d60g3h5b; http://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds628.1/

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) conducted JRA-55, the second Japanese global atmospheric reanalysis project. It covers 55 years, extending back to 1958, coinciding with the establishment of the global radiosonde observing system. Compared to its predecessor, JRA-25, JRA-55 is based on a new data assimilation and prediction system (DA) that improves many deficiencies found in the first Japanese reanalysis. These improvements have come about by implementing higher spatial resolution (TL319L60), a new radiation scheme, four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) with Variational Bias Correction (VarBC) for satellite radiances, and introduction of greenhouse gases with time varying concentrations. The entire JRA-55 production was completed in 2013, and thereafter will be continued on a real time basis. Specific early results of quality assessment of JRA-55 indicate that a large temperature bias in the lower stratosphere has been significantly reduced compared to JRA-25 through a combination of ...