URI Receives Major Grant for Hurricane Research
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Right at the center of hurricane research: URI
NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality has funded 12 multi-year proposals totaling $942,235 this year from university partners along with federal scientist collaborators to more rapidly and smoothly transfer new technology, research results, and observational advances through NOAA’s Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT). The largest grant of the group, $135,000, is headed to the University of Rhode Island to improve tropical cyclone operational models.
Helping to create a "Weather-Ready Nation"
These projects further NOAA’s commitment to create a Weather-Ready Nation, in which the country is able to prepare for and respond to environmental events that affect safety, health, the environment, economy, and homeland security.
This year’s projects range from $35,000 to the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere in Colorado to develop a real-time surface wind analysis to the $135,000 URI grant.
“This is research-to-operations in action for hurricanes,” said John Cortinas, director of NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality, the office that manages the U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP), of which JHT is a part. “For example, during Hurricane Irene, researchers tested new instruments and collected data that will help forecasters understand the state of the ocean under a hurricane and used satellite information to determine the current intensity of the hurricane.”
The JHT was formed by the USWRP to advance the transfer of new research and technology to improve the analysis and prediction hurricanes at forecast centers. The JHT provides a framework for NOAA, university, and industry researchers to work on specific topics related the hurricanes, such as improvements to computer models, wind measurements, and satellite observations.
NOAA's grants for 2011
• $98,776 – NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Dept. of Defense/Naval Research Laboratory, NOAA National Climatic Data Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies – Improvement to the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) Rapid Intensification Index.
• $45,000 – Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service – Improvements in statistical tropical cyclone forest models.
• $76,072 – NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory – Improved SFMR surface wind measurements in intense rain conditions.
• $58,074 – NOAA National Climatic Data Center – Updating the secondary eyewall formation probabilistic model, completing new climatologies of intensity and structure changes associated with eyewall replacement cycles, and construction of new forecast guidance tools based on new climatologies.
• $69,517 – Florida International University – Enhancement of Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme-rapid intensification (SHIPS-RI) index using satellite 37 GHz microwave ring pattern.
• $35,000 – Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service – Development of a real-time automated tropical cyclone surface wind analysis.
• $135,000 – University of Rhode Island, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory – Improving the operational tropical cycle models at NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction and Navy/Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center.
• $83,588 – Florida State University – Introducing diagnostic variables towards extending the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) algorithm for hurricane intensity forecasts.
• $89,077 – University of Miami/Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Florida State University/Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies – Development of probabilistic tropical cyclone genesis prediction scheme.
• $89,470 – NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies – Validation of Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) forecasts with satellite observations and potential use in vortex initialization.
• $52,665 – NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory The Assimilation of non-NOAA and non-Air-Force global positioning system dropwindsonde data into NOAA numerical models.
• $109,996 – National Center for Atmospheric Research, Dept. of Defense/Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Postgraduate School – Improved automation and performance of Vortex Objective Radar Tracking (VORTRAC) intensity guidance.
Started in 2001, the JHT is supported in part by the NOAA Office of Weather and Air Quality through the U.S. Weather Research Program and is jointly managed by NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Weather Service. More information is available online, here.
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