NOAA Mission

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Jack Parish from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collects weather data Feb. 18 over the Pacific Ocean aboard a Gulfstream IV jet, known as "Gonzo." NOAA uses the state-of-the-art, high altitude research platform to better understand weather systems and allow people more time to react to heavy storms such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. Weather specialists flew several missions from Yokota over a two-month period in January and February to gather weather data over the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Michael Dillon)

NOAA researches weather from Yokota

Published Feb. 27, 2009
By Airman 1st Class Eric Summers
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration led an oceanic and atmospheric research project Jan.7 to Feb. 27 here as part of a major international field campaign.

The campaign was called Winter THORPEX, which stands for the Observing-System Research and Predictability Experiment.

"We have been conducting the winter storms project for more than a decade and we've flown out of Anchorage, Alaska; Australia; New Guinea and Honolulu, but this is the first time out of Japan," said Jack Parrish, Pacific-Asian Regional Campaign program manager.

"By coming to Yokota we are stretching the envelope and trying to improve the five- or six-day weather forecast period," Mr. Parrish said. "The result is to give the emergency responders around an extra day of lead time when it comes to severe storms and catastrophic weather, such as the snow storms that were in Kansas.

"It gives the whole crew a sense of great satisfaction that we are making a difference and possibly helping to save someone's life," he said.

Mr. Parrish said flying from Yokota allows the team to conduct research in areas of the Pacific region that were previously unexplored.

During the team's time at Yokota, they flew more than 120 hours on 16 missions in 22 days and dropped more than 300 instruments. The instruments dropped were global positioning system dropsonde devices that transmit information back to the aircraft called "Gonzo", a Gulfstream IV jet.

This aircraft is equipped as a state-of -the-art, high altitude research platform, providing information about temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, and other atmospheric profile information. The information is then analyzed and transmitted to meteorologists in Washington, D.C., for further research.