Government meteorologists confront obstacle in hurricane prediction as essential tool is denied access during commencement of hurricane season
Breaking: Saildrones Out As NOAA's Helper Amid Agency Turmoil
As hurricane season kicks off, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finds itself without a trusted companion - the Saildrones. These sprightly drone ships have been sailing into the heart of tropical storms, collecting valuable data for NOAA's weather forecasters.
For the past four years, Saildrones have been a game-changer in predicting rapid storm intensification, a critical factor in assessing a hurricane's impact. However, this year, the California-based company was unable to secure a contract with NOAA, spokesperson Keeley Belva confirmed to Gizmodo.
While Belva did not disclose the reasons behind Saildrone's inability to bid, a NOAA employee speaking anonymously to CNN attributed it to a late request for contract proposals from NOAA. This late notice prevented Saildrone from pre-deploying its fleet to multiple Atlantic and Gulf Coast launching ports before the hurricane season.
NOAA, however, maintains its readiness for the 2022 hurricane season, despite the upheaval and forecasts of an active Atlantic hurricane season. But losing Saildrone is a significant blow to NOAA's forecasting abilities. The remotely operated ships are equipped with instruments that measure various environmental factors, including wind speed, wave height, temperature, pressure, salinity, and the critical heat and moisture transfer between the ocean and the air. This data is essential for predicting hurricane development.
With Saildrones on the sidelines, NOAA will have to rely on its aerial storm-tracking tools such as weather balloons and drones. These tools, while valuable, can't match Saildrones' ability to provide live storm footage or reliably measure wind and sea surface temperatures over extended periods. As NOAA faces budget cuts and staff reductions, sidelining Saildrones could strain its resources even further.
Still, NOAA continues to look towards the future, with plans to explore the use of other uncrewed systems in meeting its data needs within hard-to-access regions of tropical cyclones during the 2025 season. Here's hoping Saildrone makes a swift comeback to aid NOAA in its critical storm-chasing mission.
Insights:- Saildrone participated in hurricane research in 2021, notably during Hurricane Sam.- NOAA's budget could face reductions of up to $1.6 billion in the 2026 budget proposal.- In 2021, President Trump's administration imposed sweeping staff cuts, grant freezes, and travel and training restrictions on NOAA.- The agency's National Weather Service (NWS) office has lost over 10% of its staff since January 2021.- Saildrones are equipped with instruments that measure multiple environmental factors, including wind speed, wave height, temperature, pressure, salinity, heat and moisture transfer, and wind direction.- The SØ drones, designed for rapid atmospheric profiling, are launched from the bellies of NOAA's WP-3 hurricane hunter aircraft.- StreamSonades, biodegradable probes, are deployed from hurricane hunter aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements as they fall through the storm.- Saildrones transmit data to forecasters in real-time, improving forecast accuracy and public messaging.- Saildrones produce harrowing live videos of hurricanes, potentially influencing evacuation decisions.
[1] - https://remotelyowned.com/2021/09/29/saildrone-announces-featuring-in-the-documentary-the-storm-makers-set-for-broadcast-on-national-geographic-on-july-20th/[2] - https://www.kqed.org/science/2021/09/27/saildrone-helps-tackle-climate-change-from-the-ocean-surface#:~:text=Saildrone%20recently%20participated%20in%20an%20accord%20aimed%20at,Fort%20Benning%20in%20Georgia.
- The absence of Saildrones in NOAA's operations is a significant challenge for climate-change research, as Saildrones are equipped with instruments that measure various environmental factors, including wind speed, wave height, temperature, pressure, salinity, heat and moisture transfer, and wind direction.
- The late request for contract proposals from NOAA is attributed as the reason behind Saildrone's inability to secure a contract with NOAA, which could potentially strain the agency's resources even further due to budget cuts and staff reductions.
- President Donald Trump's administration imposed sweeping staff cuts, grant freezes, and travel and training restrictions on NOAA, which could have impacted NOAA's ability to secure contracts with companies like Saildrone.
- NOAA continues to explore the use of other uncrewed systems, such as Saildrones, in meeting its data needs within hard-to-access regions of tropical cyclones during the 2025 season, indicating an ongoing commitment to environmental-science and climate-change research despite administrative turmoil.
