Dogecoin's (DOGE) budget cuts affect NOAA's balloon network, potentially endangering precise weather predictions.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has been affected by cost-cutting measures, resulting in a reduction in workforce and weather balloon launches. This reduction in critical real-time atmospheric data collection has raised concerns about the precision and accuracy of weather forecasts, particularly for storm warnings and climate monitoring.
Weather balloons, carrying radiosondes that measure temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind speed at various altitudes, play a vital role in accurate weather prediction. The suspension or scaling back of balloon launches at several sites, including Kotzebue, Alaska, and others nationwide, due to under-staffing has created gaps in the data network that the NWS depends on.
In an effort to mitigate this, the NWS has turned to private companies like WindBorne Systems, which provide balloon data via a "data-as-a-service" model. While this helps fill data gaps and maintain some forecast capabilities, critics warn this shift risks fragmenting the historical climate record and may expose forecasters to data access uncertainties.
Recent efforts to rehire hundreds of meteorologists and technicians aim to restore the NWS’s capacity to conduct weather balloon launches internally. Until staffing levels and the balloon network are fully restored, forecast precision and accuracy remain challenged by data shortages caused by reduced balloon launches.
Andrew Hazelton, a NOAA meteorologist and hurricane hunter, spoke to Gizmodo last week about the impact of the layoffs on his employment status. He emphasized that while every single forecast won't be poor, the uncertainties in forecasts will grow over time due to the reduction in data collected from American skies.
Michael Morgan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and former NOAA administrator, echoed these concerns, stating that the loss of data will lead to less precise forecasts and more uncertainties.
The exact impact of the staffing shortages at NWS locations on weather forecasts won't be clear immediately. However, the long-term implications could potentially lead to less accurate forecasts, increased uncertainties, and potential blind spots in crucial forecasts.
[1] Inside Climate News - https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20210303/trump-administration-weather-service-cuts-staff-data-climate-change [2] Gizmodo - https://gizmodo.com/trump-administration-layoffs-weather-service-forecasters-1846142913 [3] The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/03/04/weather-service-to-cut-back-on-weather-balloon-launches-amid-staffing-shortages/ [4] The Hill - https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/537980-trump-administration-cuts-staff-at-weather-service-raising-alarms-about
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