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Dec.
24, 2008: Last year, a certain Mr. Claus got a very
nice gift.
Terry
Claus, captain of a 53-foot charter boat called The Qualifier,
received something that helped him avoid a disaster at sea--namely,
data transmitted onto his GPS screen. If "data"
isn't your idea of a Christmas gift, just listen:
 "One
night, my wife, children, and I were fishing for swordfish
25 miles off the Miami coast," says Claus. "We saw
black clouds to the west. That's not unusual where we live.
Florida storms sometimes build over land and then dissipate.
But that night, when I checked the radar on my GPS, I saw
an incredible line of severe thunderstorms moving towards
us -- and fast."
Right:
Capt. Terry Claus and the Qualifier. [more]
"I
checked the lightning strike screen, and it looked like a
chained link fence of continuous lightning," he continues.
"I shouted, 'Reel in the lines! We have to get out of
here fast!' I could see on the screen where the cloud mass
was weakest, so I followed that route. A 747 jet flew overhead
and seemed to be following the same route we were following.
We must have been looking at the same data! We made it to
port safely."
The
Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) project
at the Marshall Space Flight Center "facilitates the transfer
and use of unique NASA satellite data to improve short-term
weather forecasts, and disseminates unique weather products
like those that helped make Claus's bird's eye view of the weather
possible that night," says Dr. Gary Jedlovec, satellite
meteorologist and SPoRT principal investigator.
The
SPoRT team makes their data and products available via the
web and other public dissemination sites in order to assist
the National Weather Service and private weather providers
like WorldWinds, Inc. in Slidell, Louisiana in making these
premiere products available to the marine community. SPoRT
has partnered with WorldWinds to disseminate high resolution
atmospheric and ocean data from NASA's Earth Observation System
satellites. WorldWinds repackages the data, along with other
weather/data products they generate themselves and some radar
data from WxWorx, for the mariners along the Gulf and Atlantic
coasts. About ten thousand of them subscribe to the data service
via XM satellite radio.
Any
time they feel a little edgy about what the day, or night,
might hold in store, Claus and other boaters can scrutinize
a GPS for answers. With the push of a button, a boat captain
can choose from among views of sea surface temperatures, Doppler
radar, wind speed, wind direction, lightning strikes, and
more, both real-time and forecasted.
Above:
A screen shot from the WxWorx system showing wave heights
around the Gulf of Mexico. More screen shots:
#1,
#2, #3,
#4
"Our
business is helping other government agencies and private
weather partners find vital ways to use our data," says
Jedlovec. "In fact, weather forecasters all over the
US, including Florida coastal regions, use many of our data
products to improve their weather forecasts. Accurate marine
weather forecasts are especially crucial to boaters. They
sure don't want to be surprised by high winds, 10-foot waves,
and lightning strikes."
Sea
surface temperatures play an important role in hurricane and
tropical storm development but also can be a significant factor
in spawning the storms Claus dreads. Sea surface temperatures
also play an important role in creating just the right setting
for something Claus loves – a lot of fish in one
place. Each species of game fish has a range of water temperature
they prefer, so "SST charts" can lead a fisherman
to his prize catch.
Below:
Sea surface temperature (SST) measurements from a NASA satellite.
Red is warmer, blue cooler. [Larger
image]
There's
another thing that helps create the perfect ambience for a
fish party – plankton. The green stuff is almost always the
most popular hors d'oeuvre. If an ocean area has
a lot of plankton, it's a likely gathering spot. The
SPoRT team knows how to use NASA satellite data to find such
areas. High chlorophyll concentration, indicated in satellite
data by greenness (the greener the more chlorophyll), means
lots of plankton.
"If
you know where blue water [no plankton] meets green [more
plankton], you'll find more bait fish, and then more catchable
fish," says Claus. "Fish swim up and down the edge
of the weed boundaries and also the defined edge where warmer
water meets cooler water."
That's
why WorldWinds uses the SPoRT sea surface temperature data
along with SPoRT chlorophyll data as components in a fishing
product called FishBytes that reveals when and where the impromptu
fish parties take place. Like the weather data, this product
is available via XM radio on a GPS.
 Right:
WxWorx in action. Play
a 26 MB Quicktime video.
NASA
helps fishers find fish feasting. (Say that 10 times rapidly!)
And what about the poor fish? It just doesn't seem fair.
"Most
of our customers are charter fishing captains," says
Benjamin Jelly of WorldWinds. "Environmental and conservation
groups concerned for fish view us, and the charter fishers,
in a positive light."
"When
we take out charter clients, we follow the environmental laws
concerning limit numbers and size," explains Claus. "And
when we fish in tournaments, we use circular hooks for bait.
It's a tournament rule. The fish can't swallow the hook, so
the fish aren't hurt. Once we catch a fish, we release it
immediately. In fact, an angler's tournament score is based
on the number of releases he or she makes."
Many
sport fishermen also participate in voluntary tagging programs.
This allows researchers, including fisheries biologists and
marine scientists, to garner more information about species
numbers, migration patterns, and environmental preferences.
"There
are many, many tournament participants, and literally thousands
of recreational fishermen, some of which fish year-round,"
says Jelly. "So our system allows more fishermen to apply
more tags and collect more data about these species. That's
good for the fish."
The
fish are happy. Mr. Claus is happy. NASA's happy.
Good
SPoRT!
SEND
THIS STORY TO A FRIEND
Author: Dauna Coulter
| Editor: Dr.
Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
| more
information |
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NOTES:
1.
Captain Terry Claus has been a United States Coast Guard
licensed Captain since 1980. Terry's captaining and
fishing experience include South Florida, the Florida
Keys, Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. More: #1,
#2.
2.
SPoRT data are available online
at no cost to anyone who wants to view it. SPoRT is
based at the National Space Science and Technology Center
in Huntsville, Alabama.
3.
WorldWinds, Inc. spun off back in the 90s from a NASA
grant called Small Business Innovative Research. That
grant encouraged use of NASA-developed technologies
by the private sector so that the public could get the
most 'bang for the buck' out of NASA science.
4.
WxWorx is the exclusive
weather data provider for award-winning XM WX Satellite
Weather, a trusted information source for professional
pilots and mariners. Founded by Meteorologists in 2002,
the company supplies both hardware and software solutions
for onboard weather to the aviation, marine, and emergency
management industries. An affiliate of weather analysis
and technology pioneer Baron Services, WxWorx employs
many of the same patented capabilities used in the broadcast
television industry for severe weather tracking and
forecasting.
5.
An organization called The
Billfish Foundation works worldwide for the conservation
of billfish and related species and to improve ocean
health. Their tag and release program was established
by anglers and captains. It is an important source of
information for scientists who want to increase the
knowledge base needed to enhance long term sustainable
management and conservation of billfish and related
species. The tag and release program provides scientists
and fishery managers data on migration patterns, age
and growth rates, stock structure, and more.
NASA's
Future: US
Space Exploration Policy |
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