Latest news with #Wood
Scientific American
19 hours ago
- Climate
- Scientific American
Hurricane Forecasters Lose Crucial Satellite Data, with Serious Implications
On television broadcasts and forecast maps, hurricanes appear as two-dimensional swirling vortices, belying their extremely complex three-dimensional structure. Being able to peer past the tops of clouds to see what's happening inside a storm is critical for forecasting—particularly for catching one that is about to rapidly intensify into something more dangerous. But a key source of data that provide an x-ray-like view of that structure will shut down by June 30, just before hurricane season tends to kick into high gear. 'It's certainly one of the more important data sources that we have because it provides a unique dataset,' says James Franklin, former chief of the National Hurricane Center's (NHC's) Hurricane Specialist Unit. '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.' Having that information can alert forecasters to rapid intensification or other major changes hours before they become apparent in other data—providing crucial time to warn people in harm's way. This view into storm structure comes from sensors onboard Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites. Those data will no longer be taken up, processed and sent out to the National Hurricane Center or other non-Department of Defense users. The exact reasons for the shutoff are unclear but appear to be related to security concerns. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'The timing [of the shutdown] could not be worse as far as hurricane season is concerned,' and it comes along with other recent cuts and limitations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says Kim Wood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Arizona. What do microwave data tell us about hurricanes? Satellites orbiting the Earth gather data in multiple wavelengths of light: visible, infrared, microwave, and so on. Each provides different kinds of information. Most people typically see images of hurricanes in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but the storms also emit microwaves. 'Everything is emitting microwaves,' Wood says. 'We're currently emitting microwaves sitting here. And it's because our temperatures are above absolute zero.' Microwaves are useful in monitoring hurricanes, Wood says, 'because the waves are so long they get through the tops of the clouds.' This lets forecasters see a storm's inner workings—particularly changes to its eye and eye wall (the circle of clouds that surround the eye and make up the strongest part of the storm). Such changes can indicate if a hurricane is strengthening or weakening. This is a particularly useful tool for monitoring storms at night, when visible satellite imagery is unavailable. Though infrared data are available at night, microwave data have 16 times their resolution, Wood says. Being able to watch a storm overnight can help avoid what Franklin calls a 'sunrise surprise'—when forecasters get the first visible imagery at daylight and find that the storm has become much stronger or better organized than they had expected. Microwave imagery is particularly useful for catching rapid intensification—defined as when a storm's winds jump by at least 35 miles per hour in 24 hours. Forecasters using microwave data can catch the process and warn people faster than they could otherwise. This was the case with Hurricane Otis in 2023, which was the first known Category 5 Pacific hurricane ever to make landfall and caused significant devastation. Microwave 'satellite imagery clued us in to the potential for this system to be really strong,' Wood says. Microwave data are also extremely useful in locating the center of weaker storms. These storms tend to lack a central eye and eye wall, and clouds higher in the atmosphere can obscure where those located lower down are circulating in visible imagery. Knowing where the center of the storm lies is important information to feed into hurricane models that forecast where the storm will go. Feeding microwave data into models can improve the accuracy with which they determine the position of the center of a storm by about 60 miles, Franklin says—noting that an incorrect position is 'going to cascade or leak into your track forecast.' This means that meteorologists who lack microwave imagery may not be able to forecast where a storm will make landfall as accurately as those who have it. Where do microwave data come from, and why were they cut? Because the microwaves emitted from Earth's surface and atmosphere are very weak, they can only be detected by satellites in very low-Earth orbit, Wood says. (The geostationary satellites that provide visible imagery orbit farther out. To have a sensor big enough to detect microwaves from their position, they would need to be the size of the Death Star, Wood says.) But because those microwave-detecting satellites orbit so close to Earth, they see less of it at any given time than geostationary satellites do—so more of them are needed to adequately monitor the planet. And there are longer time gaps between when a microwave-detecting satellite 'revisits' the same spot. That means microwave data are already limited. There are currently six satellites providing that information for U.S. weather forecasting purposes, and they are only useful for hurricanes if they serendipitously pass overhead at the right time. But now three of them are about to be turned off. 'That's a big drop in the availability of this tool,' Franklin says. The data that are about to be lost come from what are called Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) sensors onboard three DMSP satellites. The exact reason for the shutoff is unclear, though some reports have cited security concerns. It does not appear that the concerns are with sharing the data themselves or with funding the collection and dissemination of that information. In an e-mail to Scientific American, a spokesperson for the U.S. Space Force wrote that 'DMSP satellites and instruments are still functional' and that DOD users will continue to receive the data. They referred further questions about the decision to the U.S. Navy, which had not replied to requests for comment by press time. In an e-mail to Scientific American, Maria Torres, a spokesperson for the NHC, wrote that "the DMSP is a single dataset in a robust suite of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools in the NWS portfolio.' She cited other satellites, ocean buoys and the Hurricane Hunter flights, among other tools. '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,' Torres wrote. There are other satellites that could theoretically provide microwave data—including a recently launched DOD satellite—but there has been no discussion of making those data broadly accessible, Wood says. And because forecasting models and other systems are geared toward the existing data, it is not simple to use a new data source as a substitute. 'It's one thing for a satellite to exist,' Woods say. 'It's another thing for us to be able to access it.' What we can expect this hurricane season The loss of these data is most concerning when it comes to storms that are relatively far out in the ocean (beyond the range of Hurricane Hunter aircraft) and to storms in the Pacific Ocean, where fewer such missions are flown. There are typically more monitoring flights for storms that are a threat to the U.S., particularly as they get close to land. But two thirds of all hurricane advisories are issued based solely on satellite data, Franklin says. The loss of these data alone would be extremely concerning for forecast accuracy this hurricane season—but it comes on top of the broader cuts that have already been made to the National Weather Service and NOAA. For example, there may be fewer launches of the weather balloons that help illuminate how the larger atmospheric environment will steer a storm. And it is unclear if Hurricane Hunter flights might be affected. 'Losing this data is worse than it might have been a year ago,' Wood says. 'It's pretty much guaranteed that there will be some forecast this year where significant intensification, most likely of a tropical storm [to a hurricane], is missed by six to 12 hours because these data weren't available,' Franklin says. If it is a Pacific Coast storm, this could be devastating for communities in the way. And even if it is out at sea, it is a big concern for mariners. 'Ships go down in hurricanes,' Franklin says. All in all, 'there are a lot of things that are working against forecasting' this year, he says.
San Francisco Chronicle
20 hours ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sacramento State's FBS waiver denied, sparking backlash and the potential for lawsuit
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The NCAA has rejected a waiver request from Sacramento State that would have allowed it to play in the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent next year. Sacramento State last week said it will leave the Big Sky and join the Big West Conference as a full member starting with the 2026-27 academic year. The Big West doesn't sponsor football so Sacramento State's program will be an independent in that sport in the Championship Subdivision. Lacking an invitation from an FBS conference, the university filed the NCAA petition in April and the D-I Council turned it down this week. School president Luke Wood said he disagreed with the decision. 'Sacramento State has met every meaningful benchmark for FBS membership, and we believe our university, our students, and the entire Sacramento region deserve major college football," Wood wrote in a statement posted to X. "We're full steam ahead and we still plan to be playing FBS football in 2026.' Wood did not provide details of potential next steps. Boise State law professor Sam Ehrlich said on X that legal action could be an option. 'This will lead to litigation. Forcing a school to rely on the whims of conferences (to) let them compete for the economic benefits of a higher division is just the sort of arbitrary gatekeeping that draws harsh antitrust scrutiny,' Ehrlich wrote. ___
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Three Biggest National League Snubs From First Round of All-Star Game Voting
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The first stage of voting for this season's MLB All-Star Game wrapped up Thursday afternoon and there were certainly some surprises. Some of the obvious superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were the top two vote getters and the All-Star Game regulars like Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto were all atop the voting leaderboards. There were, however, quite a few players that did not advance into the second round of voting due to the flawed fan voting process. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals hits a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on June 23, 2025 in... SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals hits a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on June 23, 2025 in San Diego, California. MoreJames Wood of the Washington Nationals may be the most clear and obvious snub, and it is truly unfortunate that he was not one of the top six vote-getters in the outfield. At just 22 years old, Wood is having a monster year with a .277 average, 22 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .926 OPS. All of those numbers are top two for qualified outfielders but because of the market he plays in, Wood did not get the recognition he deserved. Instead, it was Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers who has eight fewer home runs, 10 less RBI and an OPS more than 120 points lower than Wood. The good news for Wood and Nationals fans is that he will almost certainly be chosen as a reserve when the final rosters are set and the entire baseball world will get to see his talent put on display in Atlanta. James Wood did not make the cut as a finalist to start in the OF at the ASG. The slept on superstar didn't get enough fan support. Not even close. Absolute shame. He will get in as a reserve when the baseball people look over the numbers. — Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) June 27, 2025 Eugenio Suarez is tied with Seiya Suzuki for the National League RBI lead and has 16 more RBI than any other third baseman in the league. Unfortunately for him, he fell victim to the fan voting and was left out of the second round of voting. Instead of Suarez advancing, it was Max Muncy, who has six fewer doubles, 13 less home runs, 16 less RBIs and a slugging percentage of .829 compared to Suarez's' .892. It is yet another unfortunate case of one of the best players in baseball this season having a chance to start the All-Star Game stolen from him due to a flawed system. Baseballs should be very afraid of Eugenio Suárez 😮 — MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2025 Elly De La Cruz has put together an excellent season for the Cincinnati Reds and he will ultimately have to wait until the reserves are announced to hear his name selected for the game. He leads all shortstops in runs scored (64), home runs (18), RBI (55) and slugging percentage (.511). Just like the other players mentioned above, he fell victim to playing in a smaller market, as the Mets' Francisco Lindor and Dodgers' Mookie Betts were chosen over him in the fan vote. As will likely be the case with Wood and Suarez, De La Cruz will be selected as a reserve prior to the game, meaning one of the most electric players in baseball will make the All-Star Game in consecutive seasons. Elly De La Cruz in 28 games since May 24th: .337/.415/.731 10 HR 19 XBH 22 RBI 30 Runs 📺 @Reds vs Yankees at 7pm ET on MLB Network — MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 25, 2025 More MLB: Padres Legend States Rivalry With Dodgers 'Good For Game'
STV News
a day ago
- Business
- STV News
Financial watchdog launches investigation into troubled Wood Group
Aberdeen-based engineering firm Wood Group is being investigated by the UK's financial watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to investigate the company covering the period from the January 1, 2023 until November 7, 2024. It comes after Wood announced in March that an independent review had found 'material weaknesses and failures in the Group's financial culture'. Wood said it was having to adjust its accounts from the past three financial years after the review. The statement in March also said: 'The cultural failings appear to have led to instances of information being inappropriately withheld from, and unreliable information being provided to, Wood's auditors.' Wood also said it was unlikely to file its accounts for 2024 on time, which means shares in the firm have been suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange since May. On Friday, Wood said the FCA had launched an investigation, and it would cooperate fully with the regulator. It comes as Wood continues to hold talks with a Dubai-based firm over a possible takeover. Sidara tabled an offer in April which valued the Aberdeen firm at around £242m. Sidara abandoned a deal last August, blaming global market turmoil and geopolitical risks, valuing Wood Group at around £1.56bn. A deadline for a deal to be concluded between the two companies is June 30, 2025. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Lauren Wood on Why Yogi Tea's Foundation Isn't Just About Giving Back – It's About Inspiring a Better Future
Lauren Wood introduces her re-energized Yogi Foundation, signaling a new chapter of philanthropic support for global good. Historically a business-to-business tea company for over 50 years, Yogi has evolved into a direct-to-consumer brand with a strong, values-driven voice. In this interview, Wood highlights the company's deep integrity, demonstrated through sustainable sourcing, B Corp certification, and awards for religious freedom and employer choice. The Foundation is committed to innovative storytelling, particularly through a new series of films that reimagine the narrative of farming communities from which Yogi sources spices like ginger, cinnamon and cardamom in India, Sri Lanka and Guatemala. These films co-created with communities and elevated by 'people of influence' (celebrities) aim to foster appreciation and connection to the origins of ingredients. The Yogi Foundation's next chapter seeks to fill a gap in the philanthropic landscape by focusing on inspiring possibility and making good visible. Rather than reinventing solutions for issues like climate change, the foundation plans to partner with existing, well-funded expert organizations. Its core mission is to elevate positive examples and reframe global challenges, believing that focusing on good expands it, ultimately inspiring a reimagined future.
