NASA Launches NURTURE Campaign to Enhance Winter Storm Forecasting

NASA has initiated the North American Upstream Feature-Resolving and Tropopause Uncertainty Reconnaissance Experiment (NURTURE), an airborne campaign designed to enhance understanding of severe winter storms and improve forecasting models. The mission utilizes remote sensing instruments to collect atmospheric data, which also serves to demonstrate capabilities for future space-based observations.

Current Mission Operations

On January 24, a research team departed from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, aboard a Gulfstream III (G-III) aircraft. The team traveled to Goose Bay, Canada, and is scheduled to conduct flights for nearly a month.

These flights extend from the Northern Atlantic Ocean over Canada through the Northeast United States. During this period, the G-III aircraft will measure atmospheric moisture, clouds, and ozone as winter storms develop.

Future Expansion

A second phase of the NURTURE campaign is planned for next year, marking the inaugural mission of NASA's new Boeing 777 airborne science laboratory, which will operate out of Langley.

These future flights are designed to cover an expanded range of 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) and integrate a broader suite of instruments. Researchers intend to collect detailed atmospheric observations across Europe, Greenland, the North Atlantic Ocean, Canada, most of the U.S., and a significant portion of the Arctic Ocean.

Research Objectives and Collaborative Efforts

The NURTURE campaign aims to provide scientific data to improve understanding of severe weather events. Will McCarty, NASA's weather program manager, noted that the campaign leverages NASA's expertise and resources for this purpose.

Amin Nehrir, a research scientist and co-investigator for NURTURE, highlighted a significant challenge:

"Current winter storm forecasts, particularly in high latitudes and Arctic regions, often lack accuracy due to insufficient sensitive observations in dry atmospheric environments."

The NURTURE mission employs advanced technology to gather more precise atmospheric dynamics data, which is noted to be more effective than existing space-based observations in this context.

The mission operates in parallel with international efforts, including the North Atlantic Waveguide, Dry Intrusion, and Downstream Impact Campaign (NAWDIC) being conducted by partners from Shannon, Ireland. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leading a third mission focused on tropical moisture transport to the Western U.S.

Combining data from these campaigns is expected to enable scientists to track weather systems globally and and analyze both large-scale flows and small-scale features influencing high-impact winter weather.

Expected Outcomes and Significance

Data collected from NURTURE is intended to support first responders, decision-makers, and the public by providing earlier information on severe winter weather events. These events include cold air outbreaks, windstorms, hazardous seas, snow and ice storms, and extreme precipitation.

The mission also aims to demonstrate the feasibility of developing NASA's remote weather sensor capabilities for future space-based applications. Steven Cavallo, principal investigator for NURTURE, emphasized the broader impact:

"Severe weather events incur substantial costs, posing threats to lives, national security, supply chains, and infrastructure."

Funding and Management

The NURTURE mission is funded by NASA's Earth Science Division. Management is provided by researchers at NASA Langley and NASA Ames, in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma.