Mutual information forecasts for optimal adaptive sampling guidance

Analysis and Forecasts for 23 Apr 0000Z to 29 Apr 0000Z 2025, Issued 26 Apr 2025

We use our mutual information (MI) forecasts between candidate observation locations and future regional field or variables of interest (target or verification field/variables) to predict the most informative future data locations. We use our MIT MSEAS ensemble forecast to predict these MI fields.

For the MI fields that we show in the table below, the goal is to predict the location of candidate future glider observations (temperature and salinity profiles) on different days (00Z Apr 23 to 00Z Apr 28) that are the most informative about the target velocity, on 00Z Apr 29, 2025, in the region of the forecast LC and its uncertainty.

  • The candidate glider observations at each location in the domain occur at the times indicated in the headers of each MI plot. These glider temperature (T) and salinity (S) profiles are assumed taken at the 0m, 50m, 150m, 300m and 500m depths, unless these depths are below the topography, in which case the depths are equally redistributed.
  • The target (verification) variables are the velocity fields in the region of the forecast LC and its uncertainty at 00Z on Apr 29, 2025. These fields are defined by u and v profiles at all the locations shown by green stars taken together, at 00Z on Apr 29, 2025, at 150m, 300m, and 500m depths (in the region of the forecast LC and its uncertainty). These verification (target) green stars are illustrated in the top right of this page, encompassing the forecast LC region and its uncertainty.

The locations with highest MI (bright yellow) on each day indicate where glider T and S profile observations are predicted to be most informative about the LC and its uncertainty at 00Z on Apr 29, 2025. The results indicate that the glider T/S profiles the most informative about the horizontal velocity field in the forecast LC region and its uncertainty (green stars locations) are on the northeast edge of the LC and a second location on the southwest edge of the LC. We also note that as data are measured closer to the verification time, the highest MI locations are in a circular shape surrounding the center of the LC at depth.

../level_-300_temp.png

00Z Apr 23 202500Z Apr 24 202500Z Apr 25 2025
MI_TS20250423000000_UV20250429000000.png
MI_TS20250424000000_UV20250429000000.png
MI_TS20250425000000_UV20250429000000.png
00Z Apr 26 202500Z Apr 27 202500Z Apr 28 2025
MI_TS20250426000000_UV20250429000000.png
MI_TS20250427000000_UV20250429000000.png
MI_TS20250428000000_UV20250429000000.png