Latest news with #FNMOC
The Hill
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Hill
NOAA to discontinue some weather data, but delays cutoff
Federal authorities say they will discontinue some weather data — but they are delaying the original plan to do so by one month. Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that it would phase out data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which has collected weather data for military operations for more than 50 years. 'Due to recent service changes, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) will discontinue ingest, processing and distribution of all DMSP data no later than June 30, 2025,' the original notice said. 'This service change and termination will be permanent,' it added. Rick Spinrad, who led NOAA under the Biden administration, told The Hill in an email that this is a 'big deal.' 'It is ahead of schedule and is forcing [the National Weather Service] to rush to accept data from DoD's newest meteorological satellite,' Spinrad said. 'That will be a serious challenge and might mean that the National Hurricane Center is without some critical data for the next several weeks/months during hurricane season. It will most likely lead to some degradation to NHC's track and intensity forecasts,' he said. On Monday, in a new notice, NOAA said that the discontinuation would be delayed by one month, adding that the original decision was made because of a 'cybersecurity risk.' 'On June 30th, FNMOC had planned to decommission the …system in Monterey to mitigate a significant cybersecurity risk,' it said. 'However, late on Friday, June 27th, CNMOC received a request from … NASA to postpone the removal and to continue processing and distributing DMSP data through July 31st.' 'FNMOC now expects to decommission DMSP processing no later than July 31st,' it added. The announcements come after a tumultuous few months at the nation's weather agencies under the Trump administration. The Trump administration fired hundreds of NOAA employees, but its National Weather Service later warned that some offices were 'critically understaffed' and began hiring more meteorologists. The U.S. is currently in hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Gizmodo
Forecasters to Lose Hurricane Satellite Data at the Worst Possible Time
In one month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its National Hurricane Center (NHC) will lose access to critical satellite data that lets meteorologists see inside the eye of a storm. This marks the latest blow to the agency's forecasting abilities as hurricane season gets underway. In an abrupt move that blindsided meteorologists and public officials on Wednesday, June 25, the Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) announced it was shutting down the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) data processing system on June 30 due to a 'significant' cybersecurity risk. Owned by the Department of Defense (DoD), DMSP weather satellites have provided forecasters with critical storm data since the 1960s. The decision sparked outrage from meteorologists and public officials, as it would cut off their access to all DMSP data and could significantly degrade forecast accuracy right at the start of hurricane season. Following pressure from NOAA and NASA officials, FNMOC postponed the shutdown until July 31, according to a NOAA message shared Monday, June 30. 'Late on Friday, June 27th, [the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC)] received a request from Dr. Germain with NASA to postpone the removal and to continue processing and distributing DMSP data through July 31st,' the message states, referring to Karen M. St. Germain, the division director for NASA's Earth Science Division. 'An update service advisory will be sent and FNMOC now expects to decommission DMSP processing no later than July 31st.' This will give NOAA and the NHC a few more weeks to prepare for the loss, but it's not clear what that will look like. There is currently no plan to resume the flow of DMSP data to NOAA, even when a new Defense Department weather satellite begins operations in October, CNN reports. NOAA has publicly maintained that the change will not impact the quality of hurricane forecasting and that there are many other sources of hurricane data that will allow for forecast accuracy this season. Gizmodo reached out to the public relations offices at the NHC, DoD, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. The primary aim of DMSP weather satellites is to support military operations, but meteorologists have used their data for general weather prediction and storm tracking for more than 50 years. These satellites capture microwave imagery of hurricanes using a handy instrument called the Special Sensor Microwave Image Sounder, or SSMIS. This tool works like a 3D X-ray, peering through the clouds to reveal the interior structures of tropical storms and hurricanes. Observing changes to the storm's eye and eyewall—a ring of tall thunderstorms that surrounds the eye and produces heavy rains as well as the strongest winds—can tell meteorologists whether a storm is strengthening or weakening. Having this information alerts them to major changes like rapid intensification hours before they show up in other data streams. Thus, these satellites are essential for understanding a storm's potential impact and giving officials time to warn people in its path. 'It's certainly one of the more important data sources that we have because it provides a unique dataset,' James Franklin, former chief of the NHC's Hurricane Specialist Unit, told Scientific American. 'It's the only way really to see through clouds and get a sense of the organizational structure of the core of a developing cyclone.' Rapid intensification is notoriously difficult to predict, but catching it ahead of time is critical, as it drastically increases the extent of a hurricane's impact. One example of this is Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in Florida on October 9, 2024. Within just 24 hours, this storm strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5, devastating the state's west coast. Losing access to DMSP data will make forecasting rapid intensification even more difficult for NHC meteorologists, and this isn't the first storm-tracking tool they have lost this year. Earlier this month, it became apparent that NOAA would not be using Saildrones this hurricane season. These drone ships sail directly into storms to collect real-time data that forecasters use to predict their strength and path. Like DMSP satellites, Saildrones are particularly useful for spotting early signs of rapid intensification. NOAA has relied on them for the past four years, but this year, the California-based company was 'unable to bid' on a NOAA contract, agency spokesperson Keely Belva told Gizmodo in an email. All of this adds to growing concerns about NOAA's readiness for hurricane season, which officially began on June 1 and ends on November 30. The agency predicts this season will be an active one, with six to 10 storms expected to strengthen into hurricanes. Of those, three to five could become 'major' hurricanes—Category 3, 4, or 5. Since President Donald Trump took office, NOAA has faced sweeping staff cuts, grant freezes, and travel and training restrictions. Stripping the agency of key storm tracking tools will add to this strain. Despite the upheaval, NOAA representatives say they are prepared. Other experts disagree. 'This decision will kill people,' hurricane researcher Jimmy Yunge wrote in a message to NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations expressing concern about the loss of DMSP data. 'It will lead to millions, if not billions, of USD in additional damages per event.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Defense Department to end satellite data programs used for storm forecasts
June 28 (UPI) -- With the of peak hurricane season looming, forecasters will be without key information starting Monday because the Defense Department said it will no longer provide them with data from the weather satellites. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a notice Wednesday about the change. "Due to recent service changes, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) will discontinue ingest, processing and distribution of all DMSP data no later than June 30, 2025," the notice said. "This service change and termination will be permanent." This change is coming amid cuts in staffing at NOAA, as well as reductions in scientific programs. One unidentified NOAA scientist told The Guardian the changes amount to a "systemic destruction of science." For 40 years, the Pentagon has operated satellites for atmospheric and ocean conditions. There are three now. The satellites gather multiple wavelengths of light, including visible, infrared, microwave, Kim Wood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Arizona, told Scientific American. Microwaves are used to monitor hurricanes, Wood said, "because the waves are so long they get through the tops of the clouds" and help scientists to understand a storm's inner workings, especially those that occur at night. The U.S. Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center processes raw data, which is then used by scientists and forecasters for real-time data. The satellites also are used to collect data on sea ice in polar regions. A U.S. Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that the satellites and instruments are functional and that the Department of Defense will continue to use them while access for scientists is cut off. The agency uses data to track conditions for its ships. "It's not an issue of funding cuts," Mark Serreze, the director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, a federally funded research center in Colorado, told NPR. "There are cybersecurity concerns. That's what we're being told." With the data, hurricane experts can see where the center of a storm forms, and hence figure out the direction where it could be headed, including land. Also, they can see when a new eyewall forms, which helps determine intensity. That was done with Hurricane Erick earlier this month in the Pacific Ocean. The National Hurricane Center, which is overseen by NOAA, doesn't expect less-accurate forecasts. "NOAA's data sources are fully capable of providing a complete suite of cutting-edge data and models that ensure the gold-standard weather forecasting the American people deserve," NOAA communications director Kim Doster told NPR. NOAA and NASA also operate satellites that are used for forecasts. Brian Tang, a hurricane researcher at the University at Albany, told NPR that it is important to have as many data sensors as possible. "I was surprised, given how important it is for forecasting hurricanes and monitoring important features like sea ice," Tang said. "This is data that forecasters use regularly." "We're a bit blind now," said Allison Wing, a hurricane researcher at Florida State University, told The Guardian. "Before these types of satellites were present, there would often be situations where you'd wake up in the morning and have a big surprise about what the hurricane looked like," she said. "Given increases in hurricane intensity and increasing prevalence towards rapid intensification in recent years, it's not a good time to have less information." The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 with five so far named in the Pacific and one so far in the Atlantic.
