Once again, trump reverses course — DoD will continue sharing satellite data with NOAA:
Days before the Pentagon was set to cut off access to satellite observations that help meteorologists track hurricanes overnight, Defense Department officials told government forecasters they would continue sharing the data, after all.
[…] Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday that they now expect “no interruption” in the data their meteorologists receive through what is known as the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which includes microwave-based observations that reveal storm activity even through the cover of darkness.
U.S. Navy officials said the branch’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center had planned to phase out the data as it prepares to replace the aged satellites by next year.
“But after feedback from government partners, officials found a way to meet modernization goals while keeping the data flowing until the sensor fails or the program formally ends in September 2026,” a Navy spokesperson said in an email.
NOLA.com adds the timing is critical:
The reversal is good news for the current hurricane season as it inches ever closer to the time of year when tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean is historically at its peak, from mid-August through October.
Roughly 86% of all tropical activity occurs after Aug. 2, [New Orleans meteorologist Scot Pilié] said, and the loss of such an important hurricane forecasting tool at the end of July would have almost certainly had immediate consequences.
While traditional satellites essentially take photos of the Earth's surface, Pilié said microwave satellites like those associated with DMSP give scientists a look "under the hood of a storm," allowing them to analyze the structure, intensity and changes happening within a storm's core.
This, he said, is especially important at night and in between Hurricane Hunter missions, when many other kinds of satellites struggle to collect data. Hurricane Hunters are often hailed as one of most useful tools available to forecasters, but Pilié said they can't fly into every storm.
With peak hurricane season right around the corner, this is welcome news!
