[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 322 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 322
To improve the lead time, accuracy, and dissemination of forecasts of
atmospheric rivers throughout the United States, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 29, 2025
Mr. Padilla (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the lead time, accuracy, and dissemination of forecasts of
atmospheric rivers throughout the United States, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Atmospheric River
Forecasts Act''.
SEC. 2. ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
weather enterprise in the United States and institutions of higher
education, shall establish an atmospheric river forecast improvement
program (in this section referred to as the ``program'').
(b) Program Elements.--In carrying out the program, the Under
Secretary shall seek to reduce the loss of life and property and
economic losses from atmospheric rivers through the development and
extension of, and research on, accurate, effective, and actionable
forecasts and warnings, including by--
(1) establishing quantitative atmospheric river forecast
skill metrics that include the benefits of dynamical modeling,
data assimilation, and machine learning improvements in the
probabilistic forecasts of landfall location, extreme wind and
precipitation, and cascading impacts;
(2) developing an atmospheric river forecast system within
a unified forecast system, and advancing next-generation
coupled modeling systems, with the capability of providing
seasonal to short-range atmospheric river forecasts that
include forecasts of snow accumulation and other hydrologic
components;
(3) advancing scientific understanding of the roles of
atmospheric rivers in subseasonal-to-seasonal precipitation and
probabilistic predictions at subseasonal and seasonal scales;
(4) developing tools and improved forecast products to
predict periods of active or inactive atmospheric river
landfalls and inland penetration over the United States with a
focus on addressing stakeholder and public needs related to
perceiving, comprehending, and responding to atmospheric river
forecast improvements;
(5) enhancing the transition of research to operations
through the testbeds of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, including the evaluation of physical and social
science, technology, and other research to develop products and
services for implementation and use by relevant stakeholders;
and
(6) incorporating social, behavioral, risk, communication,
and economic sciences, including by collecting voluntary data
regarding hazardous weather or water events.
(c) Innovative Observations, Data Assimilation, and Modeling.--The
Under Secretary shall ensure the program periodically examines, tests,
and evaluates the value of incorporating innovative observations, such
as observations from radar, observations from crewed or uncrewed
aircraft, novel airborne and satellite-based measurements, data from
ocean buoys, data from soil moisture monitoring systems, reservoir
storage data, observations from mesonets, or any observations,
measurements, or data from other emerging technologies, with respect to
the improvement of atmospheric river analyses, modeling, forecasts,
predictions, and warnings.
(d) Improved Modeling.--
(1) In general.--Under the program, the Under Secretary may
improve modeling for precipitation forecasts, with an emphasis
on forecasting for complex terrain.
(2) Improved precipitation forecasts.--Improved
precipitation forecasts pursuant to improved modeling under
paragraph (1) should support improved water resource management
and resilience to extreme water-related events, from floods to
drought, which may include the use of enhanced streamflow
prediction.
(3) Elements.--In improving modeling under paragraph (1),
the Under Secretary may--
(A) develop, test, and operationalize prototype
high-resolution Atmospheric River Analysis and
Forecasting System models through a research and
operations partnership with partners outside the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(B) enhance data assimilation of current and new
satellite and ocean observations;
(C) improve data processing techniques;
(D) use artificial intelligence and machine
learning methods as applicable;
(E) ensure the surface and subsurface observations
of the ocean meet the needs of atmospheric river
analysis and forecasting predictions on time scales
from days, to weeks, to months, to seasons; and
(F) improve or establish baseline weather
monitoring service in areas that have historically
experienced, or are predicted to experience,
atmospheric rivers.
(e) Atmospheric River Reconnaissance.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall acquire and
sustain adequate crewed and uncrewed aircraft, scientific
equipment, and personnel necessary to meet mission requirements
annually from November 1 through March 31 to--
(A) ensure atmospheric river air reconnaissance
observations are available throughout the expected
seasons of atmospheric rivers;
(B) meet air reconnaissance and research mission
requirements of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, including with respect to tropical
cyclones, high-impact weather, sea ice, atmospheric
chemistry, climate, air quality for public health, fire
weather research and operations, and other missions,
including marine animal surveys, post-damage surveys,
and coastal erosion reconnaissance;
(C) ensure data and information collected by the
aircraft are made available to all users for research
and operations purposes;
(D) participate in the research and operations
partnership that guides flight planning and uses
research methods to improve and expand the capabilities
and effectiveness of atmospheric river reconnaissance
over time;
(E) develop data management strategies to ensure
that data and metadata are adequately stewarded,
maintained, and archived in accordance with collective
benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and
ethics principles (commonly known as ``CARE''
principles), findable, accessible, interoperable, and
reusable principles (commonly known as ``FAIR''
principles), and the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435; 132 Stat.
5529) and the amendments made by that Act, and preserve
and curate such data and metadata in accordance with
chapter 31 of title 44, United States Code (commonly
known as the ``Federal Records Act of 1950'');
(F) maintain or establish within the Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research not fewer than one
atmospheric river observatory, which shall include
water vapor flux analyses and forecasts, radar and
disdrometer precipitation analyses, and snow level
radars in all States along the West Coast of the United
States, including Alaska, to ensure equal and
comprehensive coverage of that region; and
(G) undertake such other additional activities as
the Under Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary
of the Air Force, considers appropriate to improve and
grow the atmospheric river reconnaissance mission.
(f) Improved Atmospheric River Hazard Communication.--Under the
program, the Under Secretary shall consider research and development
activities to--
(1) as appropriate, develop and refine methods to
categorize the intensity of atmospheric rivers on a
quantitative scale and the impacts of such a scale in hazard
communication;
(2) develop best practices for communication of atmospheric
river events and hazards across regions of the United States;
(3) gather information from areas prone to atmospheric
rivers regarding levels of knowledge and preparedness,
including responses to early forecasts and warnings by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
(4) explore strategies and effectiveness of communicating
that atmospheric river events are beneficial at lower
intensities versus hazardous at higher intensities.
(g) Program Plan.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Air Force or the Commander of the 53rd Weather
Reconnaissance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve Command, shall--
(1) develop a plan that details the specific research,
development, data acquisition, partnerships with institutions
of higher education, and technology transfer activities, as
well as corresponding resources and timelines, necessary to
achieve the goals of the program under subsection (b);
(2) submit that plan to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives; and
(3) make that plan available to the public.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(2) Seasonal; subseasonal; under secretary; weather
enterprise.--The terms ``seasonal'', ``subseasonal'', ``Under
Secretary'', and ``weather enterprise'' have the meanings given
those terms in section 2 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501).
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