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   ECMWF data


The meteorological data used for trajectory calculations originates from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forcasts (ECMWF). The spatial resolution is T106, which correspond to a latitude/longitude resolution of 1.125 x 1.125, the temporal resolution is 6 hours and 60 levels are available in the vertical direction. The data sets are so-called analyses which is a combination of observations and numerical calculations. Measurements from satellites, radio sondes, bouys, weather stations, etc. are assimilated into a meteorological model, that produce an estimate of the state of the atmosphere at a given time. An analysis is used as starting point for the production of weather forecasts.

ECMWF is the result of a joint effort between several European met-agencies and the centre has been established with the goal of making medium ranged (5-10 days) forecasts with a global coverage. The institution is currently the world leader in this field and the meteorological data sets are generally of very high quality.