Ye scurvy dogs o' the sea, them weather swabs be set'n loose a fleet o' flyin' contraptions straight into the maw o' the tempest!
2023-07-18
Arr, me hearties! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration be gettin' a fancy new fleet o' autonomous contraptions, able to take to the skies and seas, delvin' into monstrous hurricanes to gather grand data. Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum, brace yerselves for some high-tech adventurin'!
A high-tech sailing drone, known as a saildrone, was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston, South Carolina, to collect weather data directly from hurricanes. The saildrone, operated by Saildrone Inc. in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), made headlines in 2021 for capturing the first-ever video from inside a major hurricane. NOAA plans to deploy a fleet of 12 saildrones in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season to gather data on storms over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.The saildrone was deployed in the complex area off the coast of South Carolina, where warm currents from the Gulf Stream supply energy to storms. Understanding how the ocean interacts with hurricanes in this region is crucial for predicting their intensification and landfall. Saildrones utilize machine learning, acoustic and camera systems, and sensor data to record round-the-clock research.
The expanded fleet of saildrones will allow researchers to observe the same storm from different angles, improving storm forecasts. The vessels collect data on various parameters such as sea surface temperature, salinity, air temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction and speed, and wave height. This data feeds directly into hurricane models, enhancing their accuracy.
NOAA also plans to deploy small aircraft and dropsondes, tube-shaped sensor devices, into hurricanes to gather atmospheric data. The agency is working on the next generation of manned "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft, but there is a predicted transition towards unmanned vehicles flying into storms.
Overall, the use of high-tech autonomous machines, such as saildrones, in hurricane research aims to improve understanding of storm formation, intensification, and movement. By collecting data from inside hurricanes, researchers hope to unravel the mysteries surrounding these powerful natural disasters and develop better prediction models.