Multiple-Parameter Models of the Atmosphere for Numerical Forecasting Purposes

A general discussion of multiple parameter models of the atmosphere for forecasting purposes is given and various ways of arriving at such models are presented. For some two-parameter models it is possible to derive a simple graphical method of integration which may be used before high-speed electronic computors are available. A numerical example is given. Finally the accuracy of a two-parameter representation is investigated more closely and a comparison is made with the accuracy of the radiosonde data. The conclusion is reached that a two-parameter model is adequate for representing the field of pressure-heights with an accuracy which is only slightly less than the accuracy of the radiosonde observations themselves. Hence models of three or more parameters are of interest merely to the extent that they are capable of describing in a more satisfactory manner the processes of the atmosphere.