NOAA Weather In-Situ Deployment Optimization Method

WISDOM Demonstrations to Date

WISDOM goals for Hurricane operations in the 2008 Hurricane season include deployments of balloons into two storms over Category 3. Balloons will be deployed 4-7 days in advance of the Hurricane’s landfall based on model determinations of the Hurricane track. Initial flight/tracking tests with ten prototypes will be conducted in Hawaii August 15 for about one week with 2 balloon launches per day at 12k and 26K. The full-scale deployments into two major storms will begin September 15 until November 30 (depending on the duration of the hurricane season).

For two major hurricanes, approximately 65 Balloons will be released from eight rapid deployment locations at two altitudes 12,000 ft and 26,000 ft.  Each balloon is equipped with an ETC RFID tag 100 gram payload that can transmit location and wind data.  Balloons will remain in the air for about 2-10 days.

 The balloons will come in ‘kits’ that can be transported by 8 trained  student teams (2 people per team via commercial air transport) to potential launch sites including universities, airports, partner observing stations for deployment.
 
Anticipated locations (Modeling effort is underway to narrow down potential 8 launch locations):

• Barbados, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands: 8 balloons – 4 released at 12,000 and 4 released at 26,000 ft.
• Mexico, St. Croix: 8 balloons – 4 released at 12,000 and 4 released at 26,000 ft.
• East Coast (Miami FL, Charleston SC, Morehead City, NC): 8 balloons – 4 released at 12,000 and 4 released at 26,000 ft.
• Central (Denver CO, Twin Cities MN, Wilmington OH, Dodge City KS): 8 balloons – 4 released at 12,000 and 4 released at 26,000 ft.
• Western Gulf Coast (Jackson MS, Corpus Christi  TX) 8 balloons – 4 released at 12,000 and 4 released at 26,000 ft.

WISDOM beyond 2008: NOAA’s future goals for WISDOM are aimed at multiplying the current effort several fold and enhance data gathering capabilities.  The 2008 demo includes about 130 balloons, in the future the goal is to have hundreds of WISDOM balloons deployed into a hurricane to flood the data poor regions.  The other goal is to develop improved materials for balloons and payloads than can be attached to the WISDOM system (for temperature, humidity, and additional observations).