Biden-Harris Administration Allocates Up to $7 Million for Enhancing Weather Predictions under Investing in America Initiative

Department of Commerce and NOAA Announce $7 Million Funding Opportunity to Improve Weather Predictions

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) have unveiled a $7 million funding opportunity as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding aims to establish a new multi-university Data Assimilation Consortium that will enhance weather predictions. With the climate crisis leading to increasingly severe weather events across the United States, this investment will provide Americans with the necessary information and tools to prepare and stay safe.

Funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, this award will allocate up to $7 million over three years, beginning in fiscal year 2024, to a new consortium focused on numerical weather prediction. The primary objective of this consortium is to strengthen NOAA forecast models, offer strategic workforce development in data assimilation, and foster long-term partnerships between NOAA, academia, government, and the broader weather enterprise. Currently, NOAA is soliciting collaborative proposals for the project.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo emphasized the urgency of this investment, stating, “Millions of Americans are right now experiencing the impacts of extreme weather, made worse by the climate crisis, which threatens people’s safety and the economic security of the nation.” She further highlighted the importance of updating weather infrastructure under President Biden’s leadership to enable communities to take action and build resilience in the face of climate change-induced extreme weather events.

In recent years, the United States has witnessed a surge in billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, along with an increase in extreme heat events. Severe storms, hurricanes, floods, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, and winter storms have claimed hundreds of lives and caused trillions of dollars in damages. Distressingly, the first half of 2023 alone witnessed 12 confirmed weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion. Moreover, disaster events this year have resulted in the deaths of at least 100 individuals.

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., emphasized the continuous demand for actionable weather information and the need to enhance forecast accuracy. He stated, “The need for actionable weather information never ends, and neither do our efforts to make that information as accurate as possible.” Dr. Spinrad expressed his optimism regarding the new consortium funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, highlighting its potential to keep NOAA at the forefront of innovation necessary for more precise forecasts.

Data assimilation advancements play a crucial role in improving weather forecasts. They ensure that forecast models commence with the most accurate and well-understood initial state of the planet. This is achieved by blending high-quality, real-world observed conditions with cutting-edge science and next-generation weather models. Earth system observations are derived from various platforms, including satellites, radars, aircraft-based instruments, ships, buoys, uncrewed platforms, and land-based surface stations.

By integrating observations with forecast model output, data assimilation creates high-quality analyses that enhance the initialization of weather and climate forecast models. Advancing data assimilation capabilities will maximize the value provided by NOAA’s global observing system.

The new funding will facilitate the strategic partnership between NOAA and the broader weather enterprise to develop the Unified Forecast System. This comprehensive Earth modeling system, which is open-source, accelerates the transition of research successes to operations. It incorporates innovations from diverse forecast models into a single, seamless system.

Additionally, the multi-university consortium will drive data assimilation research and education. It will foster collaboration, student training, and the exchange of experts between NOAA, the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, academic partners (including minority-serving institutions), and international institutions such as the UK’s Met Office and its Met Office Academic Partnership (MOAP) universities. To facilitate these collaborations, a new Transatlantic Data Science Academy (TDSA) is being established jointly by the Met Office and NOAA.

One critical aspect of this funding is addressing the shortage of data assimilation scientists across the U.S. Given the increasing demand for this occupation due to the climate crisis, training and workforce development in this field are essential. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, Michael C. Morgan, Ph.D., emphasized the significance of advancing data assimilation, stating, “This funding will help us train and develop a new and diverse cohort of data assimilation scientists for the future and will help us broaden access to this area of weather prediction.”

For more information on the Notice of Funding Opportunity, click here.

To learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act, visit the NOAA website.

Original Story at www.noaa.gov – 2023-07-27 12:00:00