FLHurricane.com: Embattled NHC Director Bill Proenza RE: His Remarks on QuikScat 'Imminent Failure'

Greetings All,

I've decided to create a new post in this forum regarding the 'brewing storm' surrounding NHC's new Director Bill Proenza, to help put this issue into a little clearer focus for the readers. Most of this post are links to news articles and relevant quotes from them.

In this forums' post titled "Miami Herald Article Federal Inspection", the posters' link to the Miami Herald article (unfortunately) ONLY links to COMMENTS about the article, and NOT the article itself.

I found the 'vast majority' (not all !) of these "COMMENTS" ( linked below, but read on for now) to be libelous, defamatory of individuals and races (Cubans), vulgar, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable, and not-clearly-focused on the issues themselves.

So, to start, here are several links to various news articles that help explain to the readers of this forum, the situation that is developing at the NHC, and how it has transpired over the past few weeks, apparently pertaining to Bill Proenza's remarks about the 'Imminent Failure' of the QuikScat satellite and his implications of what such a failure would have on the NHC's ability to accurately forecast landfalling hurricanes.

Miami Herald Article

Associated Press Article

2nd AP Article a day later

And finally, the link to the "COMMENTS" of the many persons wishing to express their 'professional' and (mostly) uninformed and acrimonious remarks.

(Be Aware: There are 16 pages of these comments! Such confusion and outright idiocy!)

Read more

I'm not sure where to begin to sort all this out; it's become so convoluted and fraught with personal attacks and further obfuscated with the publics' opinion as the result of the Katrina debacle and their views and attitudes of weather-related Federal Agencies in general.

It seems the crux of the matter is the growing unrest, even among the Senior NHC staff, with Bills' 'frequent clashing style and conduct', and in his 'embattled approach' with other federal agencies relating to 'insufficient funding' and the federal government's failure to replace the QuikScat satellite in a timely manner.

A few highly-relevant quotes from the above news articles:

>> "They said his public statements about an aging satellite (QuikScat) have undermined confidence in their forecasts. Others believe that his frequent clashes with superiors in Washington have become a serious distraction as the hurricane season deepens."

>> "Jeff Masters, chief meteorologist for the Weather Underground ... questioned the scientific basis of Proenza's campaign to replace the aging QuikScat satellite ... (and) criticized the basis for Proenza's assertion that the loss of QuikScat would diminish the accuracy of two-day forecasts by 10 percent and three-day forecasts by 16 percent."

... and ...

(Again from Jeff Masters) >> "Proenza's estimates of forecast deterioration are based on a study that examines a small number of forecasts, is contradicted by other studies and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, an unusual circumstance ... To be in the most visible and responsible scientific position in our profession of meteorology, everything you do has to come from the science ... You have to fairly present it. If you don't have the integrity to do that, you shouldn't be in that job."

But the real focus is clearly on whether Proenza has damaged public confidence in NHC's forecasting abilities, whether he has exaggerated problems and how all this has hurt NHC staff morale.

>> "'When you have this much apparent turmoil and you don't have everyone, at least superficially, pulling in the same direction, that cannot be in the best interests of an organization".

OK. 'Nuff said. I promised to try and keep my posts shorter. I almost succeded.

I'd like to hear other readers' thoughts and comments (after carefully reading the articles!) pertaining to the embroiled NHC director, his 'clashing style' and the very serious impact he is having on the staff morale at the NHC.

And I'll just bet that we (members of this fine website) can carry on a more informed, relevant and far less 'distasteful' discussion than those posted in the 16 pages of "comments" from the original Miami Herald article!

This should be *very interesting* in the coming days and weeks. The Fed's Report is due by July 20th. The 'storm' before the storms. Certainly more interesting than Invest 96L. Your thoughts, feelings and feedback are most welcomed.

As an aside, I made a few posts about the QuikScat satellite a few weeks ago, when the news of its 'Imminent Failure' was first reported in the press and even sensationalized on CNN.

That post is titled "QuickSat to fail ANYTIME" located in this forum (Everything and Nothing).

- Aloha from Norm in Honolulu (Former Coconut Grove Resident)

Edited by danielw (Sat Jul 07 2007 06:22 AM)

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