•An ensemble forecast starts from initial perturbations to the analysis…
•In a good ensemble “truth” looks like a member of the ensemble
•The initial perturbations should reflect the analysis “errors of the day”.
•In a coupled system (e.g. ENSO) they should contain the slow errors.
CONTROL
TRUTH
AVERAGE
POSITIVE PERTURBATION
NEGATIVE PERTURBATION
Good ensemble
C
P-
Truth
P+
A
Bad ensemble
Ensemble forecasts