This research program was initiated with the overall objective of determining a most appropriate numerical method for the spatial and temporal analysis of free atmospheric, radiosonde derived, wind observations for the NEROS pollutant transport model. The analysis was to be performed by automated data processing under certain restrictions in computation time and storage area. Previously developed methods of spatial and temporal data analysis were reviewed and their applicability to the NEROS effort were evaluated. Evaluation was based on tests with actual radiosonde data and with data sets produced through numerical model initialization procedures. In all cases, the desired result was a 7 by 6 grid of wind vectors in latitude-longitude space, for every hour during a three day test period. Optimization of applicable spatial analysis schemes was completed and error statistics were calculated based on agreement between analysed grids and observed or computed data at various locations within the NEROS test region. Linear and curvilinear time interpolation methods were tested by applying them to data points before the spatial analysis, and by applying them to grid point values produced by previous spatial analyses.

Caption title. "August 1984" "EPA-600/3-84-086."