How far out we can predict the weather, and an ocean robot that monitors food webs

Science Magazine Podcast

Science Podcast

News, News Commentary, Science

4.3 • 842 Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2019

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The app on your phone tells you the weather for the next 10 days—that’s the furthest forecasters have ever been able to predict. In fact, every decade for the past hundred years, a day has been added to the total forecast length. But we may be approaching a limit—thanks to chaos inherent in the atmosphere. Staff writer Paul Voosen joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about how researchers have determined that we will only be adding about 5 more days to our weather prediction apps. Also this week, host Meagan Cantwell interviews Trygve Fossum from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim about his article in Science Robotics on an underwater autonomous vehicle designed to sample phytoplankton off the coast of Norway. The device will help researchers form a better picture of the base of many food webs and with continued monitoring, researchers hope to better understand key processes in the ocean such as nutrient, carbon, and energy cycling. This week’s episode was edited by Podigy. Download the transcript (PDF) Listen to previous podcasts About the Science Podcast [Image: Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory; Music: Jeffrey Cook] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Morgan State University, a Baltimore, Maryland Carnegie R2 doctoral research institution,
0:05.0	offers more than 100 academic programs and awards degrees at the Baccliorate, Masters, and Doctoral Levels,
0:12.0	is furthering their mission of growing the future leading the world.
0:16.0	Morgan continues to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment.
0:20.0	With a four-year quadrupling of research, more than a dozen new doctoral programs,
0:25.7	and eight new National Centers of Excellence,
0:28.5	Morgan is positioned to achieve Carnegie R-1 designation in the next five years.
0:33.7	To learn more about Morgan and their ascension to R1, visit morgan.edu slash research.
0:46.5	Welcome to the science podcast for February 15, 2019. I'm Sarah Crespi. In this week's show, I'm talking to staff writer Paul Vousen about whether
0:56.0	there's a hard limit on weather prediction. Is 15 days as far out as we can get? And Megan
1:02.6	Cantwell and Trigva Fusum discuss his paper on an autonomous bot that's mapping phytoplankton
1:09.1	off the coast of Norway.
1:19.5	How far out can we predict the weather? We've gotten pretty good at it, but is there a limit?
1:25.9	Staff writer Paul Vousson is here to discuss a study that says, yeah, about two weeks. That's the maximum for the mid latitudes anyway.
1:28.1	Hi, Paul.
1:28.8	Hello.
1:29.5	So the app on my phone gives me 10 days of weather.
1:34.1	And it's pretty good.
1:35.0	I expect a little variation in those like latter days.
1:37.4	But is that the best that we can do right now?
1:39.8	It is the best we can do right now.
1:41.5	The top end models from Europe and the U.S., really, they max out at skillful predictions
	...

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