Transportation

More information on this project is coming soon!

In 2021, NCCOS developed two atlases that compile the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern California Bight. NCCOS is using that same comprehensive marine spatial planning methodology to support development of commercial-scale macroalgae farms in the Southern California Bight.

GE Research is developing a real-time, in-flight prediction system for aircraft-induced cirrus formed from contrails for commercial aircraft operators, who typically have little to no information on which flights cause long-lived cirrus clouds. In partnership with Southwest Airlines, GE’s system would combine detailed engine operational data, a hybrid physics and machine learning model, on-airplane data, and real-time satellite observations to predict aviation-induced cirrus that last more than 5 hours.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will investigate the accumulation potential of rare earth elements in hyper-accumulating native seaweed species surveyed around the Bokan Mountain rare earth element deposit in Southeast Alaska. The project will conduct a comprehensive environmental survey to understand how natural erosion transports rare earth elements from ridge to ocean.

The Boeing Company will develop a comprehensive approach for mitigating aircraft induced cirrus that would leverage satellite observations, deep learning, new developments in onboard humidity sensors, and a numerical weather prediction model. Useful for flight planning, Boeing’s approach could improve observational datasets, forward scientific understanding of humidity in the upper troposphere, and advance weather forecasting capabilities for the general public.

RTX Technologies Research Center (RTRC) will develop a platform for a physics-informed forecast of aircraft induced cirrus potential 100 kilometers ahead of the aircraft (up to 10 minutes ahead of time). The platform would include a novel on-board lidar sensor for water vapor that would be installed on a small fraction of a fleet’s aircraft to furnish data and predictions for the entire fleet.

Northrop Grumman is developing a contrail prediction and avoidance system to scout optimal altitudes for flight crew that would feature a predictive algorithm and new airborne instrumentation. Northrop Grumman’s radiometric temperature and humidity sensor would measure the environmental conditions above, below, and in front of an aircraft to enable flight crew to proactively respond to regions conducive to long-lived cirrus formation minutes before entering the area.