An Overview of Recent Actions/Events to Assure a Continued OSVW Capability

1. An Overview of Recent Actions/Events to Assure a Continued OSVW Capability

2. Conclusions, Goals and Questions… • QuikSCAT is synonymous with OSVW measurement of a certain quality • QuikSCAT OSVW have proven and understood impacts on NOAA’s operational weather forecasting and warning process • User training and education is a critical element in the successful transitioning of research data to operations • Weather forecasting and warning improvements and climate data records existing today due to availability of Quality Satellite OSVW Data MUST NOT BE DEGRADED! • But can we transition proven research technologies to operations? • What technology do we really want to transition from research to operations?

3. Recent Events • NOAA Operational Satellite Surface Vector Winds Requirements Workshop, Tropical Prediction Center – Miami, June 5-7, 2006http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/SVW_nextgen/SVW_workshop_report_final.pdf • $4M for research to operations transitioning of ocean capabilities has now been provided for the third year in a row (FY05-07) • New leader – Mary Kicza – at NOAA/NESDIS was quick to recognize and act on the difference in capabilities between WindSat and QuikSCAT • New leader – Mike Freilich at NASA/ESD – shares with Kicza an appreciation and interest in the challenge of transitioning • The controversy over NOAA’s lack of a QuikSCAT follow-on caused by the (then) Director of the NHC got this issue fully into the open • Both Kicza and Administrator Lautenbacher have testified to Congress • She and the (then) head of the NWS have visited JPL • NPOESS Nunn-McCurdy impact on climate data records has generated some interest in the Administration • OSTP made $15M available to address this in FY07 • Of this amount, the NOAA scatterometer study received $500K (to which we secured an additional $500K as a match)

4. Recent Events • NOAA/NASA Commissioned NRC Decadal Survey – National Imperatives for the next decade and beyond? Report published January 2007 - NRC recommends NOAA to transition to operations wind vector measurements through a next generation scatterometer • W&W and C&T goals made a QuikSCAT follow-on OSVW mission one of their priorities. A next-generation satellite OSVW mission capability is being carried in the Satellite Sub-Goal (above core) in the FY10-14 PPBES process • In June 2007, NOAA asked JPL to conduct a study to provide the technical readiness, cost, and impact to NOAA of (1M investment): • A QuikSCAT equivalent re-flight • An Extended Ocean Vector Winds Mission (XOVWM) • A constellation (2) of XOVWM instruments • A draft of the final report documenting results of this study will be ready by January, 2008

5. NOAA Operational Weather Forecasting and Warning OSVW Requirements Workshop • Workshop Goals: • Summarize utilization and impact of currently available satellite OSVW data in operational weather forecasting • Define NOAA’s operational OSVW requirements • Explore sensor/mission concepts using proven remote sensing technologies to meet these requirements • Key requirements: • km level spatial resolution • all weather retrievals • wind retrievals applicable for all warning categories • near-coastal winds • training and education • These requirements are entered into NOAA Consolidated Observations Requirement List (CORL) • http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/SVW_nextgen/SVW_workshop_report_final.pdf

6. NRC Decadal Survey • NOAA/NASA Commissioned NRC Decadal Survey – National Imperatives for the next decade and beyond? • D. Chelton, M. Freilich & 700+ scientists worldwide signed for ocean science community letter of support (OVW, SSH, SST, SSS measurements) • NOAA: Ocean Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center provided scatterometer OSVW letters of support • Report published January 2007 • NRC recommends NOAA to transition to operations wind vector measurements through next generation scatterometer - Extended Ocean Vector Wind Mission - XOVWM

7. All These Events Led To: NOAA funded JPL to determine a preliminary assessment of cost, schedule, performance for a QuikSCAT follow-on operational OSVW mission Following two options are being considered: Extended Ocean Vector Wind Mission XOVWM QuikSCAT Functional Replacement

8. Helping NOAA Make A Decision:NOAA-JPL Impact Study • Contributors: • JPL: measurement simulations, algorithm development • NOAA (NESDIS, OPC, NHC, WFO, NCEP): provide impact assessments based on data simulations • Areas of Emphasis: • Tropical cyclones (Katrina and Rita) • Extra-tropical cyclones (Helene, Seattle storm Dec 2006) • Coastal winds (dual low level jets off of Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino, high wind events along the Alaska coast ) • Schedule: Study evaluations will be completed in late December ’07 • NOAA to make a decision about which QuikSCAT follow-on option to proceed with in spring 2008

9. Conclusions • Much progress has been made in the last year • However, there is no guarantee at this point that there will be an ocean vector winds mission after QuikSCAT ends • The scatterometer is competing against many different instruments with active user communities in a limited funding environment • The science and operational requirement justifications for a follow-on scatterometer OSVW mission must continue to be made • The following year will be key for advocacy by the science and operational communities • The end users must be an integral and active part of the next steps • These activities need to be sustained

10. Recommendations for Consideration • Elevate the priority, accelerate and approve plansfor continuousOSVW missionsto minimize the data gap and continue improvements in weather forecasting and warning capabilities and climate studies realized today, • Fund the Extended Ocean Vector Winds Mission(XOVWM) as recommended by the National Research Council and designed and presented in a study by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to overcome limitations in current measurement capabilities and advance improvements in weather forecasting especially in coastal zones and hurricanes • User impact studies need to continue beyond the completion of the QuikSCAT follow-on study that NASA-JPL is conducting for NOAA.