Government Reduces Crucial Weather Data Essential for Hurricane Predictions, Alarming Experts
The Trump Administration's Hurricane Forecasting Gamble
The impending shutdown of key weather data from US Department of Defense satellites, a move by the Trump administration, has weather experts on high alert. These satellites, jointly run by NOAA, have provided essential data for hurricane forecasts, and their abrupt withdrawal could lead to a disaster.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it would discontinue the "ingest, processing and distribution" of data from three weather satellites it jointly operates with the Defense Department. This data is crucial for scientists, researchers, and forecasters, including those at the National Hurricane Center.
Why this sudden shutdown remains a mystery, with the Defense Department, Air Force, and Navy all avoiding comment. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster, in a statement, called it a routine process, but many experts disagree. The loss of such vital data will undoubtedly have significant consequences for hurricane forecasting.
Traditional visible or infrared satellites offer images showing a storm's structure, intensity, and temperature. However, these miss three-dimensional details, which the microwave data from DMSP satellites provides. Microwave data gives critical information that traditional satellites cannot, helping forecasters see beneath a storm's surface and understand its internal dynamics, especially at night.
The timing of this decision couldn't be worse, as we are currently in the midst of the hurricane season, and lesser storms have become more frequent, deadly, and costly due to climate change.
Experts warn that without microwave data, detecting rapid storm intensification and plotting their likely paths will be near impossible. Union of Concerned Scientists science fellow Marc Alessi states, "If a hurricane is approaching the Gulf Coast, it's a day away from making landfall, it's nighttime. We will no longer be able to say, OK, this storm is definitely undergoing rapid intensification, we need to update our forecasts to reflect that."
Even with other microwave data available, it will only account for roughly half of the current data, significantly increasing the odds of missing rapid intensification, underestimating intensity, or misplacing the storm. This, in turn, "will severely impede and degrade hurricane forecasts for this season and beyond, affecting tens of millions of Americans who live along its hurricane-prone shorelines," according to hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.
The loss of these data sources has been described as "alarmingly bad news" and "insanity" by experts in the field. NOAA and its National Weather Service office have faced several cuts and changes in President Trump's second term, making this decision all the more concerning.
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[1] Why the Trump Administration’s Termination of DMSP Data Threatens Hurricane Forecasting
[2] TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUTS OFF WEATHER DATA, AFFECTING HURRICANE FORECASTS
[3] NOAA and the Trump Administration: A History of Conflict
- The abrupt withdrawal of weather data from US Department of Defense satellites, a move by the Trump administration, has triggered concerns among weather experts regarding the consequences for hurricane forecasting.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the discontinuation of data from three weather satellites it jointly operates with the Defense Department, which provides essential data for scientists, researchers, and forecasters.
- The timing of this decision, during the hurricane season, has raised questions in the scientific community, as lesser storms have become more frequent, deadly, and costly due to climate change.
- Without microwave data, detecting rapid storm intensification and plotting their likely paths will be near impossible, according to experts like Marc Alessi, science fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
- If a hurricane is approaching the Gulf Coast, it will be difficult to assess if it is undergoing rapid intensification without the microwave data from the DMSP satellites.
- The loss of these data sources and the potential degradation of hurricane forecasts could significantly impact tens of millions of Americans who live along hurricane-prone shorelines, as noted by hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.
