Latest news with #JillTrepanier
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
With hurricane season brewing, Pentagon stops sharing satellite weather data
The Defense Department is cutting off weather forecasters from data gathered by its special satellites that can "see" through the clouds, a move experts say could deprive hurricane researchers of key information as hurricane season kicks into gear. "It's just going to make researchers have to work even harder to get to the results," said Jill Trepanier, a hurricane climatologist and chair of Louisiana State University's department of geography and anthropology. The "permanent" cutoff puts a stop to the distribution of all data collected by three military-run satellites, according to a notice release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association on June 25. The Pentagon first announced that data cutoff would go into effect on June 30, but later pushed the date back to July 31. The satellites are equipped with unique tools to peer beneath cloud cover and capture microwave images that forecasters can't get anywhere else. Their infrared sensors capture images over an area of 1,600 nautical miles, beaming down information twice every day. Launched between 2003 and 2009, the satellites orbit Earth every 101 minutes at around 515 miles above the ground, according to NASA. They track weather patterns over remote areas, including "fog, severe thunderstorms, dust and sandstorms, and tropical cyclones," according to the Space Force. The Navy confirmed the data cutoff, adding that the satellite program was already "scheduled for discontinuation in September 2026." The Space Force referred questions to the Navy, which it said was responsible for the change. More: Massive NOAA cuts could put weather forecasts in peril, lives in danger Even as the Navy "is making a change on their end, the posture on sharing DMSP [Defense Meteorological Satellite Program] data has not changed," the Space Force said in a statement. The satellites and instruments "are still functional," and Defense Department users "will continue to receive and operationally use" data from them. Hurricane experts have already raised alarms about the impact the Trump administration's slashing of science budgets could have on hurricane research. As tropical areas brace for incoming storms, the satellite data cutoff exacerbate the problem, they say. Hurricane season begins in June and ends on the last day of November. "We're back to tracking hurricanes like it's 1999. Except this isn't a party. And people could die," John Morales, a three-decade TV meteorologist specializing in hurricanes, wrote in an NBC op-ed. The military satellites "provide critical information that regular weather satellites can't," he wrote. The change 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," Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, wrote in a Substack article. The three military-run satellites provide roughly half of microwave satellite scans to forecasters, Lowry wrote. Trepanier said data from the satellites helps to track "rapid intensification" of hurricanes and to "see the structure as the storm is forming," which currently represents "probably the weakest puzzle piece" in the process of modeling hurricanes. "The biggest threat" was the suddenness of the shutdown, which left researchers "reeling," Trepanier said. "It's frustrating when you have something that's available that could make it easier" for researchers to focus on "other aspects of that storm's trajectory," she added. Forecasters have warned that Flossie, which strengthened to become a tropical storm on June 29, could become a hurricane within days. The storm was around 155 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo, on Mexico's Pacific coastline, on June 30 and is expected to pass off the Baja California Peninsula this week. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon stops sharing satellite weather data amid hurricane season
USA Today
2 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
With hurricane season brewing, Pentagon stops sharing satellite weather data
Hurricane experts have already raised alarms about the effect the Trump administration's slashing of science budgets could have on hurricane research. The Defense Department is cutting off weather forecasters from data gathered by its special satellites that can "see" through the clouds, a move experts say could deprive hurricane researchers of key information as hurricane season kicks into gear. "It's just going to make researchers have to work even harder to get to the results," said Jill Trepanier, a hurricane climatologist and chair of Louisiana State University's department of geography and anthropology. The "permanent" cutoff puts a stop to the distribution of all data collected by three military-run satellites, according to a notice release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association on June 25. The Pentagon first announced that data cutoff would go into effect on June 30, but later pushed the date back to July 31. The satellites are equipped with unique tools to peer beneath cloud cover and capture microwave images that forecasters can't get anywhere else. Their infrared sensors capture images over an area of 1,600 nautical miles, beaming down information twice every day. Launched between 2003 and 2009, the satellites orbit Earth every 101 minutes at around 515 miles above the ground, according to NASA. They track weather patterns over remote areas, including "fog, severe thunderstorms, dust and sandstorms, and tropical cyclones," according to the Space Force. The Navy confirmed the data cutoff, adding that the satellite program was already "scheduled for discontinuation in September 2026." The Space Force referred questions to the Navy, which it said was responsible for the change. More: Massive NOAA cuts could put weather forecasts in peril, lives in danger Even as the Navy "is making a change on their end, the posture on sharing DMSP [Defense Meteorological Satellite Program] data has not changed," the Space Force said in a statement. The satellites and instruments "are still functional," and Defense Department users "will continue to receive and operationally use" data from them. 'People could die' Hurricane experts have already raised alarms about the impact the Trump administration's slashing of science budgets could have on hurricane research. As tropical areas brace for incoming storms, the satellite data cutoff exacerbate the problem, they say. Hurricane season begins in June and ends on the last day of November. "We're back to tracking hurricanes like it's 1999. Except this isn't a party. And people could die," John Morales, a three-decade TV meteorologist specializing in hurricanes, wrote in an NBC op-ed. The military satellites "provide critical information that regular weather satellites can't," he wrote. The change 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," Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, wrote in a Substack article. The three military-run satellites provide roughly half of microwave satellite scans to forecasters, Lowry wrote. Trepanier said data from the satellites helps to track "rapid intensification" of hurricanes and to "see the structure as the storm is forming," which currently represents "probably the weakest puzzle piece" in the process of modeling hurricanes. "The biggest threat" was the suddenness of the shutdown, which left researchers "reeling," Trepanier said. "It's frustrating when you have something that's available that could make it easier" for researchers to focus on "other aspects of that storm's trajectory," she added. Forecasters have warned that Flossie, which strengthened to become a tropical storm on June 29, could become a hurricane within days. The storm was around 155 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo, on Mexico's Pacific coastline, on June 30 and is expected to pass off the Baja California Peninsula this week.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Researchers keeping close eye on multiple factors that could influence hurricane season
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways With hurricane season on the horizon, researchers say they are keeping a close eye on a number of factors that could influence whether this hurricane season will brew up much tropical activity. One of those factors is the sea surface temperature, which is among the primary fuels for tropical development. Of initial interest, while plenty of warm water currently exists throughout the Gulf and the Caribbean, the water in the eastern Atlantic is cooler than it was this time last year, according to LSU professor and hurricane climatologist Jill Trepanier. Something A Bit Unusual Is Happening In The Tropics Less Than A Month Until Hurricane Season Begins "A lot of that has to do with the Bermuda High and trade winds really pushing warm ocean water to the west, and leaving upwelling from colder ocean water on the eastern side," Trepanier said. She noted that, while these conditions might not directly contribute to tropical development that will impact the Gulf and eastern coastlines, they may affect the development of storms near Africa. And it could warm the waters closer to home. "Because that warm water that would normally sit over the Main Development Region is being pushed closer to mainland (U.S.) and that's something that we want to be mindful of," Trepanier said. What's The Difference Between A Tropical Depression, Tropical Storm And Hurricane? Another factor to consider in the upcoming tropical season is that this will be an ENSO-neutral year. This means that neither El Niño, which is known to inhibit tropical development, nor La Niña, which can promote tropical development, will play much of a role. What Is A Neutral Pattern? "The neutral (ENSO) effectively means that things are just kind of, well, regular, kind of normal," she said. "And with that in mind, we can get really extreme events that happen in those years, even when the setup isn't exactly prime time. So I think it's important to keep an eye out, especially for those storms that form really close to a coastline, because they will have the energy available, and it won't necessarily matter whether El Niño or La Niña is in effect." Model ENSO forecast from February 2025. How To Watch Fox Weather Lastly, a factor that is a bit up in the air is Saharan dust, which blows off of the Saharan desert and into the Atlantic. Trepanier said it has the potential to limit tropical development as the dust sucks up the moisture tropical storms require to form. "I think what's important to realize is because those same winds that are pulling that warm ocean water to the west are going to be the same winds that impact the Sahara and pull that dust to the west as well," Trepanier said. "And if we do have dust present, it's likely to inhibit some formation of tropical cyclones and hurricanes in that space." Currently, the forecast models are conflicting about how much Saharan dust will play a role during hurricane season. "We'll certainly keep an eye on it," Trepanier said. The official start date for hurricane season is June 1, and the season runs through Nov. 30. Original article source: Researchers keeping close eye on multiple factors that could influence hurricane season
