NASA is funding the development of a turbulence/severe weather detection system for use in remote ocean regions, where pilots have little access to weather information.

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) at Boulder, Colo., and the University of Wisconsin will design the system using satellite data and computer weather models with artificial intelligence techniques.

The system's goal: to identify and predict rapidly evolving storms and other areas of turbulence. NCAR scientist John Williams, one of the project's leads, notes that some of the worst turbulence occurs over oceans.

In the test of the prototype, scheduled to begin early next year, pilots on select transoceanic routes will receive real-time turbulence updates, and will provide feedback. The system, when finalized, will provide pilots and ground-based controllers with text-based maps and graphical displays showing regions of turbulence and storms. NCAR currently provides real-time maps of turbulence at altitudes over the continental U.S.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration