earth science

THORPEX

THORPEX is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand THORPEX rather than just read about it. In short: THORPEX (The Observing system Research and Predictability Experiment) is an international research programme established in 2003 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to accelerate improvements in the utility and accuracy of weather forecasts up to two weeks ahead. It is part of the World Weather Research Programme and is a key component of the WMO Natural Disaster Reduction and Mitigation Programme.

Key takeaways

THORPEX belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect THORPEX to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of THORPEX from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

THORPEX (The Observing system Research and Predictability Experiment) is an international research programme established in 2003 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to accelerate improvements in the utility and accuracy of weather forecasts up to two weeks ahead. It is part of the World Weather Research Programme and is a key component of the WMO Natural Disaster Reduction and Mitigation Programme.

History THORPEX was started in 2003 with the intention of being a ten-year programme, but it continues to be active as of 2014. The 12th annual session was held at the WMO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in March 2014.

Creation and International Science Plan (2003-04) THORPEX was created in 2003 at the Fourteenth World Meteorological Congress under the auspices of the WMO Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) as a ten-year international research and development programme to accelerate improvements in the accuracy and the social, economic & environmental benefits of 1-day to 2-week high-impact weather forecasts. At the time of its creation, the following sub-programmes were listed in the THORPEX International Science Plan:

Global-to-regional influences on the evolution and predictability of weather systems Global observing-system design and demonstration Targeting and assimilation of observations Societal, economic & environmental benefits of improved forecasts

International Research Implementation Plan (TIP) and the creation of TIGGE In February 2005, the THORPEX International Research Implementation Plan (TIP) was published. This plan proposed the creation of the THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE), an implementation of ensemble forecasting, and the Global Interactive Forecasting System (GIFS). In early March 2005, the first workshop devoted to TIGGE was held. The final report of the workshop laid out a plan for setting up the THORPEX TIGGE-GIFS working group as soon as possible & for setting up the infrastructure for TIGGE over the next few years, in time to contribute to proposed real-time THORPEX support for the International Polar Year field campaigns in 2007-08 & the 2008 Beijing Olympics WWRP Research and Development Project.

Further progress TIGGE was developed and made operational over the coming years, and data from TIGGE was used in many meteorological research papers. A 2010 review by Bougeault et al. surveyed the past work and future plans of TIGGE and concluded: "We are convinced that the TIGGE databases will constitute a key resource for reaching the objective of THORPEX: the acceleration of the progress of the forecast skill for severe weather events from 1 day to 2 weeks ahead. This will be reached by a robust combination of research on the scientific basis of ensemble prediction, experimentation with new products, and development of new protocols and policies for data exchange across WMO Member States and across the science and application communities." Another 2010 paper provided a timeline with 2008-2012 as the development phase for the Global Interactive Forecasting System (GIFS) and 2012 onward as the implementation period. In March 2014, the TIGGE-LAM (limited area model) was launched to improve on regional ensemble forecasts.

Components

TIGGE

The THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble, also known as TIGGE, was envisaged in the February 2005 THORPEX International Research Implementation Plan, and the groundwork for it was laid in a 2005 workshop. Its goal is to improve ensemble forecasting for the weather worldwide. Currently, the TIGGE data is available from these sources:

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the United States The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) is also supposed to host a copy of TIGGE A review of TIGGE was published in 2010. In March 2014, the TIGGE-LAM (limited area model) was launched to improve on regional ensemble forecasts.

GIFS The Global Interactive Forecasting System (GIFS) was first described in the THORPEX International Research Implementation Plan (TIP) published in February 2005, and it has since been mentioned in discussions of TIGGE as part of the next step in the evolution of ensemble forecasting after TIGGE. However, GIFS does not have a public-facing implementation as of April 2014.

References

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with THORPEX

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what THORPEX claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to THORPEX before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about THORPEX ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of THORPEX

In research: THORPEX appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses THORPEX in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: THORPEX is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Meteorology research and field projects, Weather forecasting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for THORPEX outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study THORPEX in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what THORPEX means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain THORPEX out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is THORPEX in simple terms?

Why does THORPEX matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study THORPEX?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on THORPEX.