| In a neglected piece of literature, Thompson (1957) pointed out the importance of studying atmospheric predictability, so that we focus our forecast development on what is possible rather than impossible and on what constrains our present level of skill. During the 1990s, great progress was made on understanding some aspects of predictability through the utilization of adjoint models. A sample of those results will be presented. Several outstanding but profoundly fundamental questions remain, however, concerning both the short and long time scales. Some of these will be described. Our need to allay some confusion within the research community will also be highlighted. |
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