2007-06-04 01:01:00

'Flying weather stations' could improve forecasts

1. 'Flying weather stations' could improve forecasts

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Written by A Camp Writer

THE accuracy of weather forecasts is severely limited by a lack of information on the weather in more remote areas such as the deserts, polar regions and over the oceans.

In a recently filed patent, however, Boeing suggests a way to provide the missing data: equip as many commercial and military aircraft as possible with advanced weather radar to measure the wind speed and direction as they fly the world's air lanes (www.tinyurl.com/2frtnc).

The measurements would then be beamed back to a central computer - like Japan's weather modelling supercomputer, the Earth Simulator - which would then update its weather models.

Boeing says the constantly updated data stream could greatly improve the accuracy of weather forecasting.