A month-long data assimilation experiment is carried out to assess the impact of CrIS and
IASI Transformed Retrievals (TRs) on the accuracy of analyses and forecasts from a 3-h
Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) cycling system implemented over the central North
Pacific Ocean. Conventional observations and satellite MicroWave (MW) radiance data are
assimilated along with TRs in comparative experiments. Both the NCEP Global Forecasting
System (GFS) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
analyses are used in the evaluation process. The results show that the assimilation of TRs, both
alone, and in combination with MW radiance assimilation, have the greatest impact on the
characterization of the moisture field in the middle atmospheric levels (800 to 300 hPa), and
particularly in the lower portion (800 to 600 hPa). The latter improvement is likely due to a
refinement in the vertical definition of the trade-wind inversion.