Sudden loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back ‘decades’ | US weather
A critical US atmospheric data collection program will be stopped until Monday and prepare for air estimators, public opinion notification Posted this week. The scientists of the Guardian, as the change has increased this year’s season, says that the hurricane forecast can bring back the “decimal years”.
In the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) message sent to scientists on Wednesday, the agency said that the defense meteorological satellite program (DMSP) “due to the latest service changes” will stop the swallowing, processing and distribution of all DMSP data, even if it is not late than 30 June 2025 ”.
Because of its unique features and the ability to match the whole world twice a day Extremely high resolutionThree DMSP satellites are the primary source of information for scientists to monitor the development of arctic sea ice and hurricane. DMSP partnership with Noaa to make the weather data collected from satellites open to everyone.
The reasons for the changes and which agency directed them was not immediately clear. Noaa said they would not affect the quality of estimation.
However, Guardian spoke to several scientists in and outside the US government affiliated to the DMSP, and they all said there was no other US program that could create enough backups for their data.
“Now a little blind,” he said, a hurricane researcher at Florida State University. Wing said that DMSP satellites are the only person who allows scientists to see in hurricane development clouds, and now provides a critical advantage in predictions.
“Before there was such satellites, there would be situations where you would wake up in the morning and you would be a big surprise about what the hurricane looks like,” Wing said. “Given the increase in hurricane density and the increase in the prevalence of rapid intensification in recent years, it is not a good time to have less information.”
Satellites also created a unique data source to monitor changes in Arctic and Antarctica, and they were constantly monitoring changes in polar sea ice. For more than 40 years.
“These are some of the fastest changing regions around the planet, Carl said Carlos Moffat, an ochinograph working on a research project connected to DMSP data at the University of Antarctica at the University of Delaware. “This new announcement about sea ice data really means blinding ourselves and preventing us from observing these critical systems.”
Researchers say that the satellites are working normal and that they have experienced any errors that will prevent them from physically to prevent the collection and distribution of the data, so it may be a deliberate decision to stop sudden data.
“Quite shocking, M Moffat said. “It is difficult to imagine what the logic of lifting access now and suddenly will be. It is impossible to plan. I definitely do not know the other cases where we receive the collected data, and we are only removed from public access.”
The loss of DMSP is critically inadequate that Noaa’s weather and climate monitoring services have been critically insufficient as Draconian interruptions over Donald Trump’s so -called “Government Efficiency Department” (Doge) initiative.
An existing Noaa scientist who wanted to stay anonymous for fear of retaliation, said that when he was taken in the context of other recent moves by the Trump administration, the action of stopping the DMSP means “a systematic destruction of science”.
The researcher also confirmed that federal hurricane predictive predictions were left unprepared for sudden change by notice for a few days.
“This is roughly the loss of half of our talents,” he said. “You cannot expect us to make accurate estimates and warnings when you remove the useful tools. Frankly, it is ashamed to follow a course with less data and claim that it will only be in the way of everything.”
Scientists said that the decision to stop the DMSP will result in a void in the watched of sea ice immediately during what is expected to be a season above the average. Arctic Sea Hits Ice New record is low.
Michael Lowry, a meteorologist working with Noaa’s National Hurricane Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said, “This is a big hit for this season and beyond this season, especially in the absence of hurricane hunters, or predicted the power of storms.” “Permanently cutting data from these satellites puts the lives of tens of millions of Americans living in meaningless, reckless and Hurricane Street.”
DMSP dates back to 1963 when the Ministry of Defense needs high -resolution cloud forecasts to help the Ministry of Defense Planning Spy Mission. The program, which has been the longest air attempt in the federal government, has been transformed into a critical source of information on polar sea ice, forest fires, solar flares and aurora, not only in the internal functioning of hurricanes.
DMSP in recent years He fought to protect While the Cold War moved away from the mission of the Cold War, consistent financing and priority within the Ministry of Defense. Japan and the other is the only nation with similar satellite ability Messages published in early June That scientists are already thinking of making a transition Japanese data In case of DMSP deduction – this transition will take time.
Neither Noaa nor the Ministry of Defense did not specify that exactly which service changes may have been stopped so suddenly.
In a statement to Guardian, NOAA’s communication director Kim Doster said, “DMSP is a single data set in this routine hurricane estimation and modeling tools in the National Weather Service portfolio.
“Noaa’s data sources can offer a full latest data and models that predict the gold standard air that predicts that the American people deserve.”
Guardian’s source of a NOAA, DMSP’s high -resolution data loss, can not be replaced with any NOAA vehicle, he said.
“National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is a part of the US Space Force, which is a part of the Ministry of Defense, runs the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) for DOD for the US space force with satellite control authority (DMSP).”
The authority added that Noaa received data from the Numerical Meteorology and Occupational Center (FNMOC), the Fleet of the US Navy (FNMOC): “While the space force provides DMSP data and processing software to DDOD users, the questions about the reasons for changes in the DMSP data processing of the FNSP should be directed.
“Even if the FNMOC makes a change at the end of the stance of sharing DMSP data, Noaa makes these DMSP data open to everyone, and many non -Dod -non -Dod organizations use these data originally processed by FNMOC.
“DMSP satellites and instruments are still functional. The data provided for FNMOC are only a way to use DMSP data.
Guardian is approaching the US navy for a comment.
