TCM-90: Tropical Cyclone Motion Analyses at 50 km Resolution

The Tropical Cyclone Motion (TCM-90) Research Initiative analyses were produced using a four-dimensional data assimilation system at the National Meteorological Center. The horizontal resolution is 50 km, with analyses from 1000 mb to 100 mb at 50 mb intervals. Special surface analyses include surface pressure, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and sea-surface temperatures.

Use Cases

• Modeling tropical cyclone motion based on 4D assimilated atmospheric data.
• Analyzing surface energy exchanges based on latent and sensible heat flux data.
• Studying sea-surface temperature influence on cyclone intensity.
• Validating and improving numerical weather prediction models based on the 50 km resolution analyses.

Strengths

• Horizontal resolution of 50 km provides detailed spatial analysis.
• Vertical coverage spans from 1000 mb to 100 mb at 50 mb intervals.
• Includes specialized surface analyses for pressure, heat fluxes, and sea-surface temperatures.

Limitations

• Last updated 1990-08-20 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Meteorological Center (NMC), sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

Collection Method

Produced using TCM-90 observations with a four-dimensional (4D) data assimilation system.

Time Range

Likely centered around 1990, given the project name and last update date.

Freshness

1990-08-20 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Likely covers tropical cyclone basins, but specific regions are not stated.