RTTOV v14.0 has been released. This is a major update to the software with numerous improvements and new features, including: changes to the representation of the atmospheric profile to improve consistency with NWP model fields; implementation of the microwave scattering science within RTTOV (the separate “RTTOV-SCATT” model no longer exists); improvements to the accuracy and speed of the MFASIS-NN fast visible cloud solver and support for additional channels; a new heterogeneous surface capability allowing multiple surface types to be associated with each profile; and support for the CAMEL v3 land surface emissivity atlases. The full list of updates is available here.

This release includes an additional module for processing level 1B data from the Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS1). It also adds support for MWHS-2 and MWTS-3 on FY-3F (hdf5 ingest and BUFR encoding), as well updating amsua_clparams.dat. For details, see the Release History.

The NWP SAF Workshop on Satellite Observations of the Earth System Interfaces was held from 19 to 22 November 2024 at ECMWF. The workshop focused on advancing the exploitation of satellite data in NWP, emphasizing the importance of interface observations that are sensitive to multiple components like the atmosphere, land, sea ice, snow, and the ocean. Key recommendations include enhancing the use of existing and new satellite observations, leveraging machine learning for complex surfaces, and promoting coupled data assimilation for better exploitation of interface observations. The workshop highlighted the need for collaboration among scientific communities and space agencies to address challenges and improve the use of satellite data in NWP. To read the full summary, please go to our Training and Outreach page.

A new monitoring page is now available to provide near real time updates on the reception status of the main satellite data sources used for NWP applications. This page aims to enhance transparency and accessibility for users, ensuring they have the latest information readily available. Please visit the Overview of data availability and timeliness status page for further information.

The main changes in IRSPP v1.3 are (i) to support the IRS test data released by EUMETSAT in July 2024, (ii) to remove obsolete HT-FRTC functionality (which is no longer supported in RTTOV) and substitute equivalent functionality for PC-RTTOV, (iii) to update the output BUFR sequence following user feedback. Further details at https://nwp-saf.eumetsat.int/site/software/irspp/