New U.S. satellite to help monitor weather, environment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. weather and space officials on Tuesday unveiled a new satellite that will allow scientists to better chart environmental changes, study what triggers disasters such as tornadoes, and help searchers rescue lost ships and aircraft.

The NOAA-L, the second in a new series of five satellites, was introduced by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and NASA at a cost of $267 million. It is scheduled to be launched into orbit September 20.

The satellite's orbital pattern will allow it to map the Earth twice each day, and the area near each polar cap more than a dozen times. The data will give researchers more detailed measurements of temperatures, ozone and cloud images.

The spacecraft also comes equipped with search and rescue capabilities to help find missing ships, aircraft and people. Once a person sends an emergency call skyward, the satellite relays for a rescue crew. NOAA officials estimated that satellites saved about 300 U.S. lives last year.

"If you want to plan a trip to the beach and go next Saturday, you want to know if it's going to be sunny or cloudy, if it's going to rain or not," said Gary Davis, a NOAA spokesman. "The polar orbit satellite is able to look at features...and try to make a prediction that you can make plans with."

Researchers say the uses for NOAA-L extend beyond making beach forecasts.

Unlike geostationary satellites that hover in a fixed position 22,320 miles above the Earth, the polar-orbiting satellite can capture data in much greater detail because it is much closer at 620 miles.

John Jones, deputy director with NOAA and the National Weather Service, said scientists will use NOAA-L to study storms in detail and look for the triggers that cause weather phenomena such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

Combining fixed satellite images with polar ones could let meteorologists issue an advanced warning before a tornado touches the ground, giving people more time to head for shelter.

The satellites' long-term capabilities may prove useful in predicting other weather events like La Nina and El Nino, conditions that have contributed to the drought and extensive heat currently plaguing Texas.

"Satellites can help us forecast such phenomena as El Nino and La Nina which have these types of effects over the continental United States," said Jones, who estimated that 83 percent of all data used for a weather forecast comes from satellites.

"The drought that is now occurring over Texas was not foreseen. It will be a major contribution to make that forecast from a satellite," he added.

Temperatures were expected to reach 102 degrees F in some parts of Texas on Tuesday, marking the 60th day that temperatures have topped the century mark.

The hot and dry summer has cost Texas farmers and ranchers $595 million in lost production, state agricultural producers said last week.

The new satellite will also give researchers more flexibility in monitoring the earth's temperature, moisture content and radiation levels. The polar orbiters' ultraviolet sensors can measure ozone levels in the atmosphere and monitor the ozone hole over Antarctica from mid-September to mid-November.

"Any additional way we have to measure the ozone or any global environmental problem is a good idea. The more data we have, the more likely we are to respond to it adequately," said Elizabeth Chalecki, research associate for Pacific Institute, an environmental think-tank in Oakland.

"The more satellites we have monitoring the ozone, and the more powerful they are, the more likely they are to help us solve or at least mitigate its effect," she added.

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