Naval Postgraduate School on LinkedIn: #earthday2024 #earthday #seapower #climatechange (2024)

Last week the Congressional Research Service released an update to its “Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (Polar Icebreaker) Program: Background and Issues for Congress” paper. This updates prior versions with summaries of three 2023 Coast Guard Congressional testimonies highlighting the results of the fleet mix analysis that concluded a need for eight to nine polar icebreakers (four to five heavy icebreakers and four to five medium icebreakers) to facilitate Coast Guard missions in the Arctic and Antarctic. It also discusses the possibility of closing a near-term need through a commercially available polar icebreaker program. (https://lnkd.in/eVeu3_3C)U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Linda fa*gan, speaking at the annual Service Navy Association Symposium last week, reaffirmed that, “Getting a Polar Security Cutter fielded is an absolute top priority for the organization.”She noted that, despite the climate change-driven reduction in Arctic ice, “In our lifetimes, we will not see an Arctic where we don’t need ice-breaking capacity.” (https://lnkd.in/g4fXnw9a)She continued, “for an Arctic country, we need to be leaned into creating on-scene presence capacity for year-round access,” she continued. “Having persistent presence year-round in the high latitudes is critical to our national security and national sovereignty.”There are several pitfalls of the current low capacity in U.S. polar icebreaking. For example, vast distances in the Arctic preclude a vessel like Healy from typically being at the right place at the right time to assist with any emergency response. More U.S. icebreakers operating in the region would increase though not guarantee the availability of an icebreaker to respond on scene. In addition, Healy has previously had sudden maintenance issues which have impacted the overall level of U.S. Arctic presence in some years. Once again, more capacity would help prevent predictable issues from inhibiting U.S. maritime polar presence.There are some great photos from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star's current Operation Deep Freeze deployment to Antarctica here: https://lnkd.in/eUt7Qwpr

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Credit to Joe Varnerin Modern War Institute 08.02.21Canada’s Arctic Problem (alternate to the Panama Canal and to the Suez Canal)https://lnkd.in/g9aXAWCpIn 2007 Canada’s then prime ministerStephen Harperstated, “Canada’s new government understands that the first principle of Arctic sovereignty is: Use it or lose it.”There is pressure from other Arctic powers—including the United States and Russia in the short term and China in the longer term—forcing the Harper government toannouncean Arctic warfare training center and a refurbished deepwater naval port. As climate change advances, the North West Passage (NEP) and surrounding area will be almost entirely open to mariners between 2040 and 2050 for easy access to mineral and natural resources and to shipping for trade between Asia and Europe. Canada uses thepart of the NWP as a sea supply route to its Northern settlements and industrial sites. As an alternate shipping route to the Panama Canal, the NWP shavesmore than four thousand milesoff a trip from the East Coast to the West Coast of North America and cuts2,500miles off the shipping routes between Asia and Europe.

Have you ever wondered how scientists are able to estimate past weather, water, and climate conditions? In the time before weather satellites (pre-1960) and standardized large-scale networks, observations were limited on land and scarce in the ocean. Monitoring was also heavily dependent on U.S. Naval vessels, which had a somewhat consistent presence on the seas as well as the necessary instrumentation.NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and the University of North Carolina at Asheville teamed up to digitize and archive some aerological observations and deck logs from World War II, aiding in the effort to create a reliable record of past conditions for this time period. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g44C4ehU

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Earlier this month, the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (AR Recon) program—a research and operations partnership between science and operational weather forecasting—took flight when "Hurricane Hunter” aircrafts from the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron launched flights over the Pacific Ocean. 🛩️ Thanks to an exceptionally wet rainy season in 2022-23, California was lifted out of its perilous drought conditions. But torrential rain caused by atmospheric rivers also caused disastrous flooding. The goal of the AR Recon program is to fill in information gaps with direct observations of atmospheric rivers and improve forecasting to inform Western decision-makers regarding storm impacts, water management, and flood mitigation.Learn more about the 2023-24 AR Recon program led by Scripps, California Department of Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers, Marine and Aviation Operations and the U.S. Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. ⬇️

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Sea wolf Submarine got ability to purse through the iceberg The Seawolf-class submarines, which are nuclear-powered attack submarines operated by the United States Navy, are designed to operate under the ice in Arctic and Antarctic regions. While they are not specifically designed to "pursue through" icebergs, they are capable of breaking through thin ice and surfacing through ice cover when necessary.The Seawolf-class submarines feature a reinforced sail structure and a strengthened hull to withstand the pressures encountered when operating under ice. They also have specialized equipment, such as sonar systems and ice detection sensors, to navigate and detect potential obstacles while submerged beneath the ice.While the Seawolf-class submarines are capable of operating in icy conditions and surfacing through ice cover, it's important to note that they are not designed to actively pursue or break through large icebergs. Instead, their primary mission is to conduct undersea warfare and intelligence-gathering operations in a variety of environments, including icy waters.

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What was different about the latest Advanced Naval Technology Exercise https://lnkd.in/g9brVerH

What an interesting workshop from ECMWF:New Meteorological and Wave models from GFS,EC and UKmet. Simon Lang's talk on AI models on the last day was really interesting: https://lnkd.in/gapegDYS As were the questions: https://lnkd.in/g6RCTpMBGood to see the usual suspects:Alex's question was my thought's exactly:How can an AI model produce TC and have better tracks than the IFS if it doesn't have sea temperatures? It does and as it has 2m temperature..

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With tensions rising in the global geo political arena, this article looks at how the Royal Navy is developing a vision for maintaining the upper hand below the waves.https://lnkd.in/eZJfeRTk

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A recent UK Ministry of Defense study highlights the urgency to “explore new ways of finding answers for future, unforeseeable threats, to be ready to harness fleeting opportunities and seek new ways to keep on finding answers and opportunities. It means changing the way we think, act, and acquire equipment, exercise command, lead.” Their study proposes three metaphors of “Black Swans,” “Black Jellyfish,” and “Black Elephants” to describe distinct blind spots or cognitive biases. “Black Swans” represent unexpected, high-impact events; “Black Jellyfish” are complex, uncertain issues we thought we understood; and “Black Elephants” are challenges that everyone sees, but avoids tackling#🦢 #🪼 #🐘

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