Did Trump stop the distribution of this data because he doesn't like what it says?
Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
151–160 of 167 posts
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#152“Researchers say the satellites themselves are operating normally and do not appear to have suffered any errors that would physically prevent the data from continuing to be collected and distributed, so the abrupt data halt might have been an intentional decision.” Wait, the U.S. aren’t even going to try selling the satellites? We’re just scrapping them?
The intent is to disable the capability to ignore the data. If you allow access to someone else, you're not preventing the data capture and dissemination. If the data shows hurricanes are intensifying in strength due to climate change, and you no longer capture the data, you can say with a straight face "No it isn't and you can't prove it." How large systems with exposure to these places (insurance, capital markets)…
To what end? What is the benefit of shutting down and ignoring data when for the last decade and a half even with data didn’t matter? I didn’t matter before why would it now?
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#153It's part of the Administration's war on ... Florida?
I was about to say this -- the impact is to deep red states -- Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. They all voted for this with extreme skew towards the current policies. What is the point of trying to save this satellite data if the very people most affected dont care for it?
Do you realize how little people in these areas pay attention to these forecasts? Hurricanes until you hit CAT 5 are viewed as bad rain storms that may or may not take the power out for a week. There is little evacuation or prep for the majority of people there as they are consistently prepared. Even still, the real threat of a hurricane isn’t the hurricane itself but the storm surge and all the tornadoes they create. Neither of those can be predicted with any accuracy so please help me understand why pathing is important?
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was about to say this -- the impact is to deep red states -- Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. They all voted for this with extreme skew towards the current policies. What is the point of trying to save this satellite data if the very people most affected dont care for it?
I strongly suspect that said states will still find a way to get federal funds for relief, whether from the president directly (since Trump's stated plan is to replace FEMA with his own discretion) or, in an emergency, through a very quick act from congress. Of course, it's much cheaper to mitigate hurricane damage _before_ it's done so gutting all the planning related services as the Trump administration seems wont…
I mean CA does nothing to mitigate fire risk and still gets funding and cries when they don’t. So why would any other state be different?
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
The intent is to disable the capability to ignore the data. If you allow access to someone else, you're not preventing the data capture and dissemination. If the data shows hurricanes are intensifying in strength due to climate change, and you no longer capture the data, you can say with a straight face "No it isn't and you can't prove it." How large systems with exposure to these places (insurance, capital markets)…
To what end? What is the benefit of shutting down and ignoring data when for the last decade and a half even with data didn’t matter? I didn’t matter before why would it now?
This is a very reasonable question.
When you control the propaganda that lies between the data and the public, the underlying availability of the data is irrelevant. The propaganda already overwrites the data.
Honestly I would suspect that limiting the data is a strategic asset. The US can use its knowledge of weather events as leverage to cow other countries, or a weapon against countries it dislikes.
"Hello , are you worried about the impact of weather on your population? Lower your tariff rate on us and we will be glad to help give you advanced warnings so you evacuate your people"
And likewise they would completely withhold such data from "enemy" countries.
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
It just isn't helpful to assume malice. Even for the most ardent, ideological Heartland Institute or Heritage Foundation conservative, there is still a path forward in discussing unintended consequences. Just look at the post-Liberation Day rollback of blanket tariffs. At some point, the consequences of actions are felt. Systems respond even when the firmest hand tries to steady them. At some point you take your hand…
> At some point, the consequences of actions are felt. yup, and that's when a Democrat comes in, fixes the worst of the mess, and then a Republican comes in whining about soooo much change. And fiscal stability. And god knows what else. And then, they cut taxes for the rich again and seriously hike the debt.
Part of solving the US debt and deficit problem will require laws mandating balancing long-term (>4 years) expenditures / decreases in revenue with long-term revenue generation.
The "run deficits in my 4 years to pay for nice things, to be paid for by taxes once I'm out of office" shit has to stop.
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
How was it shut down in 2015 when the article claims it has been shut down abruptly just recently? Do you mean it was planned to be shut down in 2015? And where does that come from? If it was planned in 2015, then I agree that's a relevant detail omitted by the article. Although it also doesn't take away completely from the larger context of government cuts and privatization.
Congress voted in 2015 to shut down the program. This should have been zero surprise to anyone. The hyperbolic comments about project 2025 and war on the courts, and climate change are just so crazy.
So they voted to shut it down in 2015, which is a very different statement than it being shut down in 2015 (your original statement). And did they plan the shutdown to take place at this exact time of year 2025, or was the date not set back then?
It seems you also got many of the facts wrong based on replies from others anyway.
I know nothing about this particular one, just trying to understand what actually happened.
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#158“Researchers say the satellites themselves are operating normally and do not appear to have suffered any errors that would physically prevent the data from continuing to be collected and distributed, so the abrupt data halt might have been an intentional decision.” Wait, the U.S. aren’t even going to try selling the satellites? We’re just scrapping them?
This story is NOT TRUE. There is one operating satellite in this constellation, and congress voted to shut down the program in 2015. The DMSP program was discontinued in 2015 by a vote in congress[1]. Virtually every working stallelite in this program has failed. As best as I can tell there's just a single working one specifically NOAA-19[2]. Instead the program has switched to JPSS[3] which is part of GEOSS[4]. [1]…
thank you!
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#159NOAA-20 is better and will still be available. Also from NOAA: “Noaa said they would not affect the quality of forecasting.” Decommissioning old sensors?
https://michaelrlowry.substack.com/p/critical-hurricane-fore... “The ATMS sounder that remains is far inferior to hurricane forecasters than the SSMIS instrument the Department of Defense is discontinuing. Unlike the SSMIS which scans at a continuous resolution, the quality of the ATMS degrades considerably on its edges, rendering the sounder useless for most operational hurricane forecasts. The example below shows t…
This figure is laterally an edge case. NOAA-21 images the earth twice a day with higher resolution
Re: Loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back 'decades'
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
Additional context for those unfamiliar: KH-11s are thought to weigh 30-40 thousand pounds (~20k kg). The mirror itself would dwarf anything launched for Starlink, multiple times over.
Starlink is 65x closer to earth. If a geostationary satellite was 1 km away, Starlink would be ~15 meters. Dramatically different scale.
My dude I want what you are smoking. KH-11s are not geostationary, they're in extremely low polar orbits. They're as low or lower than Starlink satellites and are huge.