Methods, current status, and prospect of targeted observation

Targeted observation is an observation strategy by which the concerned phenomenon is observed. In geoscience, targeted observation is mainly related to the forecasts of weather events or predictions of climate events. This paper will first review the history of targeted observation, and then introduce the main methods used in targeted observation. The discussion on the theoretical basis of targeted observation includes its advantages and limitations. After presenting the current situation of domestic and international targeted observations in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, the methods used for targeted observation, and their effect evaluation and testing are mainly discussed here. Finally, the author presents his suggestion about the prospect of further development in the field, and how to extend the method of targeted observation to deal with numerical model errors.