2/26/12 $2 Billion for Weather Satellites

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, is requesting $2 billion in their 2013 fiscal budget for their satellite programs. The 9% increase would cover both geostationary and polar-orbiting spacecraft, as well as a space weather mission, and a joint ocean research observatory with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The exact budget details propose spending around $916 million on the Joint Polar Satellite System, JPSS, which is a satellite program that monitors weather and climate patterns from orbit. The JPSS funding would be around $8 million less than was given the previous year. The JPSS program is fairly new, and includes two satellites, the first of which is set to launch in early 2017.

Another series of geostationary weather observatories that are included in the 2013 budget are known as the GOES-R, and are set to launch in October 2015. They are asking to receive $802 million, which is more than $180 million more than this years budget received. The GOES-R program includes four satellites that will provide continuous storm-tracking weather coverage through 2036.

The Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, is another weather satellite that will provide an array of weather information. NOAA is asking to have it funded at almost $23 million in fiscal year 2013 which is $7 million less than the previous year. This particular weather satellite would be placed at Earth's L1 Langrangian point which would allow it to have a continuous view of Earth's Sun-lit side. Pictures would be taken of that side in an effort to have continuous pictures of the Earth live on the internet. In addition to that, a radiometer would also be on board to take the first direct measurements of how much sunlight is reflected and emitted from the whole Earth. It still has not made it into space yet, but the U.S. Air Force will be providing a rocket for DSCOVR to be used in a launch date in mid-2014. Until then, NOAA will be refurbishing and repurposing the spacecraft to host a suite of space weather sensors to help forecast geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt power grids, communications, navigation services and endanger astronauts in space.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite, called SOHO, was a joint project between the ESA and NASA. It was originally planned as only a 2 year mission, but still currently operates over 15 years later. In fact, the mission was even approved to last until December of this year. SOHO, along with the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite, both currently provide space weather forecast services. The ACE also has outlived it's original estimated lifespan. It was launched on August 25, 1997 and the spacecraft is still in generally good condition, and has enough fuel to continue its orbit until 2024.

Sources: NOAA, NASA, Spaceflight Now, NWS

2/20/12 Strange Northern Lights

Last week the northern lights lit up the sky with bright shades of green and red starting on Valentine's Day.The lights themselves were not the strange part, but rather what triggered them. Why? Because scientists don't know what the cause actually was.
"Sometimes the sky surprises us," astronomer Tony Phillips explained on spaceweather's website. "On Feb. 14-15, with little warning, geomagnetic activity rippled around the Arctic Circle, producing an outbreak of auroras that veteran observers said was among the best in months."
Auroras are usually triggered from solar storms. These storms flare up and eject bursts of plasma filled with super-heated electrons and protons, known as a coronal mass ejections (CME). Once those protons and electrons reach Earth's upper atmosphere they interact with gases such as Oxygen, Hydrogen, and others in the air and produce the beautiful colors you see.  The problem with this set of northern lights is that there was no known CME that could have produced such a pretty display of lights.
"The reason for the outburst is still not completely clear," Phillips revealed. "No CME was obvious in local solar wind data at the time; the disturbance just … happened."

Sources: NASA, Space.com, Yahoo News, Spaceweather.com

2/14/12 Tornadoes On The Sun

Back on February 7-8th, a solar storm created tornado-like eruptions of super-hot plasma on the surface of the sun.  I say tornado-like because these aren't quite the same tornadoes that we are used to. Tornadoes here on Earth are wind-driven phenomena, whereas the plasma tornadoes on the sun are shaped by it's powerful magnetic field.
Here is the video if you want to see the tornadoes moving. In the HD video, you will see some cooler plasma material (the darker spots) on a bright and eerie yellow background (this is caused by the video being recorded in extreme ultraviolet light). The SDO spacecraft was launched on February 11, 2010 to help astronomers better understand how changes in the Sun's weather cycles affects the weather here on Earth.

Sources: NASA, space.com

2/7/12 Where is the Cold Weather? Europe!

No matter where you live in the continental United States, it has been a very mild winter. Most places have been between 5-10°F above normal temperatures for the season. In fact, January was the fourth warmest on record for the lower 48. However, in Europe (and also Alaska), it has been quite the opposite. Several record low temperatures have been set in countries across Europe. Reports say the death toll is now over 350 from the cold spell due to hypothermia alone, with hundreds more hospitalized.
Image below: Lampposts are covered in sea-spray from ice waves in the Croatian Adriatic coastal town of Senj (Courtesy: Reuters)

Temperatures in some places have dropped to -30°F, even -40°F at its lowest. Over 100 towns in Romania were isolated with no open roads or train service, and no electricity. Just as temperatures started to warm slightly in southern Bulgaria, the melting snow caused a dam wall to break killing 8 people and causing the evacuation of 50 more.
Authorities opened 1,500 shelters across Europe to provide food and heat, and a city sports hall was turned to a temporary shelter for some 350 homeless people in Turkey. In Romania prison inmates were sent to shovel snow which had blocked the path leading to an animal shelter with some 300 stray dogs and puppies.
Temperatures are forecasted to stay below zero or in the single digits for the majority of Europe for at least the next week. Ukraine will likely see temperatures as low as -22°F for the next 8 days. Ports at the Black Sea  have been closed due to clod temperatures and very strong winds.
Image below: Brussels' famous Manneken Pis fountain has stopped flowing water because of frozen pipes (courtesy: REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)

Sources: World News, Washington Post, International Business Times, CTV, Daily Mail

2/17/12 Mercury Visible This Week

Back on February 7-8th, a solar storm created tornado-like eruptions of super-hot plasma on the surface of the sun.  I say tornado-like because these aren't quite the same tornadoes that we are used to. Tornadoes here on Earth are wind-driven phenomena, whereas the plasma tornadoes on the sun are shaped by it's powerful magnetic field.
Here is the video if you want to see the tornadoes moving. In the HD video, you will see some cooler plasma material (the darker spots) on a bright and eerie yellow background (this is caused by the video being recorded in extreme ultraviolet light). The SDO spacecraft was launched on February 11, 2010 to help astronomers better understand how changes in the Sun's weather cycles affects the weather here on Earth.

Sources: NASA, space.com

2/4/12 Government Created Wx Apps

 

Mobile app development is huge nowadays. There is an app for just about anything, and most of them are free.  Despite the fact that these apps are growing exponentially, and the fact that many more people already rely on them for hazardous weather information than, say, NOAA Weather Radio, the National Weather Service (NWS) had decided to drop out of the app-creating business. Why? Well, it may be because their first app was deemed a financial disaster by many.

Last year, the US Department of Labor spent over $200,000 creating a mobile app that looked at the weather in your area, and used that information to determine how much water a person should drink every hour. The Blackberry version of this app never worked, and eventually and didn't even end of debuting.

One of The Register's journalists asked AEA how it managed to bill the US Government for more than $200,000 for basically, is an app that picks up the local temperature from the internet and displays text that is pre-programmed based on that number. Rich Jones, an Android app developer, figures he could develop the same exact app for less than $2,000.

Samullah Khan, a writer for SolidGadget.com explained his disgust with this app, "This app which is named OHSHA Heat Safety Tool, is the worst weather app I have seen so far, its interface is as horrible as its usage, and it does much fewer things than the free weather apps already available in the app store."

So what is the solution? One of the writers at Nextgov, Joseph Marks, said that they have seen government-built apps that clearly waste taxpayer money by re-creating free apps that are already available.  And that they have also seen some high-quality apps that the private sector likely could not reproduce profitably. So there really is no good answer on whether they should continue to develop apps, but it seems the NWS has already made that decision.

Now, whether it is because the heat safety app failed, or for other reasons, the NWS has decided to temporarily halt development of other mobile apps (note: this hold does not apply to apps developed for internal use). Shortly before the new year, an email was sent to NWS employees from their deputy director explaining this decision. Here is a portion of it:

"There are thousands of weather applications available for iPhone, Android, iPad, and similar wireless devices. Many of them are provided at little or no cost. Many of them use National Weather Service (NWS) warnings and other weather products and some explicitly identify NWS as the source of their information. Given this well-established and growing market for device-specific weather applications for wireless devices, NWS is declaring a hold on use of any NWS resources, including on-duty time of NWS employees, to develop such applications. This will avoid using NWS resources to duplicate products readily available in the marketplace and give NWS time to carefully evaluate our appropriate role."

In other words, the Weather Service has prohibited its employees from developing apps for specific mobile devices. The memo goes on to say that the NWS is going to stay out of the apps business, for now, especially since so many private companies have produced a lot of great (and usually free) apps that communicate the Weather Service's products. So why such a strict ban on creating these apps? It has been met with resistance from many of the NWS agency’s rank and file, who see it as a move to privatize the core function of the agency, which is the delivery of timely weather warning information.

Dan Sobien, the director of the National Weather Service Employees Union, said that he is hopeful that a new policy will be crafted that will allow the Weather Service to expand its presence in new media without crowding out private companies.The previous policy, he said, was viewed as an attempt to privatize the dissemination of NWS products and services.

Sources:  Federal Times, Washington Post, Nextgov Tech Insider (Atlantic Media Company), SolidGadget.com