Weather System Protects Homeland Security

Reported May 2005

SILVER SPRING, Md. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- September 11 made us very aware of how vulnerable we really are. Whether it's biological warfare or just accidental chemical spills, it turns out the weather report we see every day may save us.

We’ve all seen maps on TV telling us about the weather close to and far from home. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service have spent years working to perfect this process.

"One hundred twenty-two forecast offices around the country already monitor the atmosphere and issue warnings to protect public life and property," says Richard Jesuroga, NOAA Project Director at Silver Spring, Md.

It made sense, when the Department of Homeland Security was looking for an effective way to warn people of toxic waste spills or airborne particles, it turned to the National Weather Service.

Jesuroga says, "If we know the point of release, we know where the plume is going to go, and with the wind and stability information we can make estimations about the dispersion of the toxin," using computer science and mathematics to find out who or what would be in its path.

Then they can take advantage of Reverse 911 call out technology to warn the public.

But there are still challenges to work out. For example, according to Jesuroga the technology to get into the street canyons of cities like New York, Chicago areas like that, is still being developed. "The nice thing is that we have the basic infrastructure in place to get these systems out there and get these protections in place for the citizens of our country," he says, which helps officials and the public, too.

The first field test of the Capital Project Test Warning System will take place this summer in Washington, D.C. Scientists hope to have the system up and running nationwide in five years.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Richard Jesuroga, Ph.D.
Meteorologist
NOAA
Boulder, CO
(303) 497-6936

richard.jesuroga@noaa.gov

Click here to watch the video.

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