THE CANADIAN REGIONAL DATA ASSIMILATION SYSTEM - OPERATIONAL AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS

The Canadian regional data assimilation system is described. It is a s pinup cycle designed to provide the regional finite-element forecast m odel with more detailed analyses in a dynamically consistent manner. I ts operational performance is evaluated using performance statistics, and a case study is presented to highlight some of the benefits. These include analyses that better fit the data and more detailed and accur ate forecasts, particularly for precipitation. The system also benefit s research applications. To illustrate this the authors describe the p reparation of the first set of analyses for the international COMPARE (Comparison of Mesoscale Prediction and Research Experiments) Project. The scientific interest of this explosive marine cyclogenetic case is discussed, together with a useful methodology for determining the min imum domain size required by a regional model to avoid forecast contam ination from lateral boundaries.