Pacific as Estimated from Transosonde Data

The magnitude of analysis errors over the r~orthc~:rstcrn Pacific a t 300 and 250 rnh. is estimated by means of winds and geostrophic TTinds derived from opvrational trunsosonde flights from Japan. The results suggest that the ratio of vect,or gcostrophie wind error and geostrophic willd varivs from 0.15 near the west coast of North America t o 0.40 in thc Sorth-Central Pacific. The influcncr. of these arlalysis crrors upon numerical forecasting, airplane dispatching, and trajectory estinlations is indieat(d. As O I I ~ of the, alternative mcthods for incrcasing the number of upper-air observations over the oceans, the prt:sent sta1rrrl:~tc with regard to the horizontal sounding syst,em is considered, and suggestiolls rnade for breaking this st:dcrnatcx.