WASHINGTON -- NASA is backing the development of a prototype system to offer aircraft with updates about severe storms and turbulence since they fly across the remote ocean regions.
Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in firms with the colleagues at the University of Wisconsin, are developing a system that combines satellite data and computer weather models with cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques. The objective is to identify and predict rapidly evolving storms and other potential areas of turbulence.
Mr. John Haynes the program manager in the Earth Science Division's Applied Sciences Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington said that, "Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries in commercial aviation”. "This latest task to detect the possibility of turbulence related with oceanic storms which is more important to pilots".
The system is designed to guide the pilots away from intense weather. A number of different NASA spacecraft observations are being used in the project, including data from NASA's Terra, Aqua, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, Cloud Sat and CALIPSO satellites.
The prototype system will recognize the areas of turbulence in clear regions of the atmosphere as well as within storms and which is on track for testing next year. Pilots on selected transoceanic routes will receive a real-time turbulence updates and give feedback. When the system is finalized, it will provide pilots and ground-based controllers with text-based maps and graphical displays showing regions of expected turbulence and storms.
"Right now the pilots have little weather information as they fly over remote stretches of the ocean, which is where some of the worst turbulence occurs," said scientist Mr. John Williams, one of the project leads at NCAR. "Providing pilots with at least an approximate picture of developing storms could sure help them to guide safely around areas of potentially severe turbulence".
NCAR currently provides the real-time maps of turbulence at various altitudes over the continental United States. Williams and his colleagues are building on this expertise to recognize the turbulence over oceans. This team had created the global maps of clear air turbulence based on global computer weather models that includes the winds and other instabilities in the atmosphere. Drawing on satellite images of storms, the scientists also created global views on the tops of storm clouds.
The team had pinpointed the areas of possible turbulence within and around intense storms and also study the correlations between storms and turbulence over the continental United States, where weather is closely observed, and then infer patterns of turbulence for storms over oceans.
In addition to providing aircraft and ground controllers with up-to-the-minute maps of turbulence, the NCAR team is turning to an artificial intelligence technique, recognized as "random forests," to provide short-term forecasts. This enables the scientists to forecast the movement and strength of the storm throughout the next few hours.
"The main objective of this team is to provide the pilots a regularly updated picture of the likely storms ahead as they fly over the ocean, so they can take action to minimize turbulence and keep their aircraft out of danger," explained NCAR scientist Cathy Kessinger, a project team member.
The NCAR project is financially supported by NASA's Applied Sciences Program, which seeks to translate NASA's investment in Earth observations into applications that address real problems. The program and its associates are working to bind the gap between research results and operational aviation weather products in such areas as in-flight icing, convective weather, turbulence, volcanic ash and space weather.
Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in firms with the colleagues at the University of Wisconsin, are developing a system that combines satellite data and computer weather models with cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques. The objective is to identify and predict rapidly evolving storms and other potential areas of turbulence.
Mr. John Haynes the program manager in the Earth Science Division's Applied Sciences Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington said that, "Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries in commercial aviation”. "This latest task to detect the possibility of turbulence related with oceanic storms which is more important to pilots".The system is designed to guide the pilots away from intense weather. A number of different NASA spacecraft observations are being used in the project, including data from NASA's Terra, Aqua, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, Cloud Sat and CALIPSO satellites.
The prototype system will recognize the areas of turbulence in clear regions of the atmosphere as well as within storms and which is on track for testing next year. Pilots on selected transoceanic routes will receive a real-time turbulence updates and give feedback. When the system is finalized, it will provide pilots and ground-based controllers with text-based maps and graphical displays showing regions of expected turbulence and storms.
"Right now the pilots have little weather information as they fly over remote stretches of the ocean, which is where some of the worst turbulence occurs," said scientist Mr. John Williams, one of the project leads at NCAR. "Providing pilots with at least an approximate picture of developing storms could sure help them to guide safely around areas of potentially severe turbulence".
NCAR currently provides the real-time maps of turbulence at various altitudes over the continental United States. Williams and his colleagues are building on this expertise to recognize the turbulence over oceans. This team had created the global maps of clear air turbulence based on global computer weather models that includes the winds and other instabilities in the atmosphere. Drawing on satellite images of storms, the scientists also created global views on the tops of storm clouds.The team had pinpointed the areas of possible turbulence within and around intense storms and also study the correlations between storms and turbulence over the continental United States, where weather is closely observed, and then infer patterns of turbulence for storms over oceans.
In addition to providing aircraft and ground controllers with up-to-the-minute maps of turbulence, the NCAR team is turning to an artificial intelligence technique, recognized as "random forests," to provide short-term forecasts. This enables the scientists to forecast the movement and strength of the storm throughout the next few hours.
"The main objective of this team is to provide the pilots a regularly updated picture of the likely storms ahead as they fly over the ocean, so they can take action to minimize turbulence and keep their aircraft out of danger," explained NCAR scientist Cathy Kessinger, a project team member.
The NCAR project is financially supported by NASA's Applied Sciences Program, which seeks to translate NASA's investment in Earth observations into applications that address real problems. The program and its associates are working to bind the gap between research results and operational aviation weather products in such areas as in-flight icing, convective weather, turbulence, volcanic ash and space weather.
