Evaluation of Operational Objective Streamline Methods

Abstract

Objective streamline analysis techniques are separated into predictor-only and predictor-corrector methods, and generalized error formulas are derived for each method. Theoretical analysis errors are obtained from the ellipse, hyperbola and sine wave curve families, curves which taken alone or in combination often describe many meteorological flow patterns. The predictor-only method always under-estimated streamline curvature. The predictor-corrector method overestimated curvature where the stop increment was directed toward increasing curvature and underestimated curvature where the step increment was directed toward decreasing curvature. This led to at least a partial compensation which reduced the cumulative error.