In partnership with NOAA, 10 Saildrone Explorer USVs will gather near-real-time data from inside extreme storms to improve rapid intensification forecasting and protect coastal communities.The danger posed by a tropical cyclone is
In partnership with NOAA, 10 Saildrone Explorer USVs will gather near-real-time data from inside extreme storms to improve rapid intensification forecasting and protect coastal communities.
The danger posed by a tropical cyclone is exceptionally severe when a storm undergoes rapid intensification, defined as an increase in maximum sustained wind speeds of at least 30 knots (35 mph) in 24 hours.
This process remains difficult for forecasters to predict, but the consequences can be dire. If a hurricane rapidly intensifies just before landfall, authorities have little time to prepare the public, thereby increasing the likelihood of severe damage to communities and loss of human life.
This year’s mission continues a multi-year collaboration between NOAA and Saildrone that began in 2021. NOAA scientists will define the operational objectives and provide mission tasking as tropical storms develop; Saildrone will operate and navigate the USVs to deliver in situ oceanographic and meteorological data in real time.
The Saildrone USVs will be strategically positioned in the western tropical/subtropical Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of America from August to November. As tropical cyclones develop, Saildrone mission operators will coordinate with NOAA to maneuver the USVs in and around the storms.
NOAA scientists at the Atlantic Oceanographic
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