THE CONCORDIASI PROJECT OVER ANTARCTICA DURING THE

The most outstanding goals of the Concordiasi project over Antarctica are: a) To improve the assimilation of satellite data over the southern polar region, with an emphasis on the data provided by the new IASI sounder. The enhancements in the skill of weather predictions and accuracy of the climate record resulting from such improvements will contribute to the IPY’s legacy b) To improve understanding of the stratospheric ozone budget through examination of the interaction of ozone observations at flight level and stratospheric NAT clouds, together with the improved characterization of the polar vortex. c) To provide recommendations on the design of the global observing system over the southern polar region by determining the extent to which additional observations (e.g., improved use of satellite observations vs in-situ targeting) over Antarctica can improve the prediction of high impact weather over lower latitudes. d) To advance understanding of the Earth system by examining the two-way interactions between the climates of Antarctica and lower latitudes