A four-dimensional objective analysis scheme and multitriangle technique for wind profiler data

A 4D Barnes objective analysis scheme for wind profiler data is developed i n order to improve upon previously developed 2D analysis schemes. A signifi cant shortcoming of the 2D schemes is their sensitivity to gaps in the prof iler time-height series; they may produce unrealistic gradient information if large data-void regions are present. The 4D analysis scheme described he rein, however, provides an effective means for dealing with data voids with in profiler time-height series. The 4D analysis scheme differs from the 2D techniques in that data from neighboring profiler stations affect the time- height wind analysis at each site. This allows the analysis scheme to produ ce smooth, spatially and temporally consistent time-height wind analyses fo r each station of the Wind Profiler Network (WPN), even if large data gaps are present. Gridded time-height wind fields at each profiler site resulting from the 4D analysis scheme are provided as input to a line integral-equivalent techni que that is applied over many WPN triangles for the purpose of diagnosing t he kinematic and thermodynamic structure of subsynoptic-scale weather syste ms. Time-height series of triangle derived variables have been proven elsew here to be an effective method for diagnosing subsynoptic-scale temporal st ructure of weather systems; mapping the irregularly spaced triangle informa tion onto a regular, quasihorizontal grid provides a complementary perspect ive of their spatial structure and evolution.