The JRA-3Q Reanalysis

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has developed the third Japanese global atmospheric reanalysis, the Japanese Reanalysis for Three Quarters of a Century (JRA-3Q). The objective of JRA-3Q is to improve quality in terms of issues identified in the previous Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55) and to extend the reanalysis period further into the past. JRA-3Q is based on the TL479 version of the JMA global Numerical Weather Pre-diction (NWP) system as of December 2018 and uses results of developments in the operational NWP system, boundary conditions, and forcing fields achieved at JMA since JRA-55. It covers the period from September 1947, when Typhoon Kathleen brought severe flood damage to Japan, and uses rescued historical observations to extend its analyses backwards in time about 10 years earlier than JRA-55. This paper describes the data assimi-lation system, forecast model, observations, boundary conditions, and forcing fields used to produce JRA-3Q as well as the basic characteristics of the JRA-3Q product. The initial quality evaluation revealed major improve-ments from JRA-55 in the global energy budget and representation of tropical cyclones (TCs). One of the major problems in JRA-55-global energy imbalance with excess upward net energy flux at the top of the atmosphere and at the surface-has been significantly reduced in JRA-3Q. Another problem-a trend of artificial weakening of TCs-has been resolved through the use of a method that generates TC bogus based on the JMA operational system. There remain several problems such that the volcanic-induced stratospheric warming is smaller than ex-pected. This paper discusses the causes of such problems and possible solutions in future reanalyses.