here is an article that I never saw regarding all this - interesting that the head of NOAA was called on by a Congressman- bet that might not have gone over too well.
http://www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/B ... ails/4403/
Rep: Plan B if hurricane satellite fails?
Published: May 14, 2007 at 3:28 PM E-mail Story | Print Preview | License
WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- With experts predicting an active hurricane season, a U.S. congressman asked government agencies for a backup plan if the hurricane tracking satellite fails.
Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Texas, chairman of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, called on officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide answers about a research satellite that is used to help predict the strength and path of hurricanes.
"The QuikSCAT satellite, which tracks wind data at the ocean surface, is a NASA research mission which is producing data that NOAA finds valuable for improving predictions on the movement of hurricanes and the point of landfall," according to a statement issued Friday by the House Committee on Science and Technology.
The director of the National Hurricane Center recently indicated that loss of the data provided by the QuikSCAT satellite would reduce the accuracy of their two-day predictions by 10 percent and 16 percent for three-day forecasts, according to the committee's statement.
Lampson is concerned that, without a replacement for the QuikSCAT in place, the National Hurricane Center will be less accurate in forecasting hurricanes and forced to expand the areas receiving hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. The congressman represents the 22nd district of Texas, an area near the Gulf of Mexico that is prone to hurricanes.
"Our recent experience with evacuations clearly illustrates the need for accurate determinations of a hurricane's path," Lampson wrote in a letter to NOAA Undersecretary Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher Jr. "We must be sure we use this vital life-saving procedure wisely and effectively. We can only accomplish that with accurate forecasting," he wrote.
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I had not seen this from the Miami Hearld either-
CRITIQUES LEADERS
Since taking the most prominent government job in meteorology, Proenza repeatedly has criticized his bosses at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, saying they have not provided the hurricane center with adequate research funds and failed to plan for the eventual demise of an important weather satellite.
He has been widely viewed as the underdog in a David vs. Goliath battle against the federal bureaucracy, a scenario the forecasters called misleading.
''The public debate has been extremely one-sided,'' said Franklin, who has been at the center since 1999 and with NOAA since 1982. ``Bill is viewed as a hero in the media for speaking up against NOAA management and he is portrayed as having the support of his staff.
''But the hurricane specialists, by and large, do not agree with much of what he has done,'' Franklin said.
In any event, as the drama played out, the climate at the hurricane center turned stormy. Some lower-ranking members of the staff support Proenza, and shouting matches between the two camps erupted Tuesday, several people said. http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/159712.html
