Weather On Target
Abstract
Because Navy and Marine Corps personnel operate over large, often remote, regions and undergo frequent rotational assignments, they need well-developed tools that can be used to supplement basic meteorological skills with local information and knowledge for specific regions. Our long-term goal is to develop enhanced automated local analysis and prediction tools to provide an essential ingredient to tactical success in Strike, Surveillance, and Littoral Warfare Joint Mission Areas. The objective is two-fold: to develop automated analysis and forecast tools to improve on-scene weather forecaster knowledge of localized weather conditions, and to utilize conventional and remotely sensed data to provide nowcasts and forecasts of key meteorological parameters that are needed by the warfighter. While today's forecasters rely heavily on numerical analyses and forecast model guidance, and the skill of those models is constantly improving, the models cannot at this time satisfy all of the warfighter's requirements. In some cases, the warfighters may need meteorological parameters, such as visibility, that are not produced directly by existing operational models. In other situations, the model analysis or forecast may be improved by applying specific, localized knowledge of typical atmospheric patterns and behavior to the interpretation of observations and/or model products. Improved nowcasts and forecasts of parameters such as wind, visibility, and cloud-base height in the battlegroup arena will yield payoffs in terms of increased mission success and in cost savings from fewer weather-related aborted missions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA537186
Entities
People
- Paul M. Tag
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory