 |
|
NASA Researchers Studying Tropical Cyclones
June 24, 2005NASA hurricane researchers are deploying to Costa Rica next month to investigate the birthplace of eastern Pacific tropical cyclones. They will be searching for clues that could lead to a greater understanding and better predictability of one of the world's most significant weather events - the hurricane.
As scientists and coastal residents brace for another potentially challenging hurricane season, NASA is launching the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) mission. TCSP is a month-long research effort primarily intended to document "cyclogenesis," the birth of tropical storms, hurricanes and related phenomena.
Researchers will monitor oceanic thunderstorms to study why some systems develop into tropical cyclones and some do not. Researchers feel the data is vital to understanding how such weather systems evolve and travel. The data also could support development of a more accurate and timely warning system to help safeguard property and lives. A team of atmospheric scientists, engineers and aircraft personnel will take up residence in San Jose, Costa Rica during July. The NASA team will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Costa Rican Centro Nacional de Alta Tecnologia (CENAT). The team will conduct ground-based and airborne studies to measure the buildup and behavior of tropical storm systems on Costa Rica's east and west coasts.
Missions will be flown over the region using NASA's ER-2 and NOAA's WP-3D Orion aircraft and with unmanned aerial vehicles (aerosondes). The unmanned flights will be managed in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Boulder. The airborne experiments will collect temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind information related to tropical cyclones and other phenomena that often lead to development of more powerful storms at sea. The field operations will also take advantage of several NASA and NOAA satellites.
NASA and the Instituto Meteorologico Nacional of Costa Rica also will launch a series of RS-92 series, balloon-borne probes (sondes), to measure humidity and other data related to tropical storm origins.
"Costa Rica is an ideal location for this research," said Dr. Ramesh Kakar, Weather Focus Area leader for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A vast number of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the eastern Pacific are spawned near the small Central American nation's western coast.
"In the Atlantic, cyclogenesis often occurs off the western coast of Africa, or sufficiently far out over the ocean that long-duration science flights are extremely difficult," Kakar said. "In the eastern Pacific near Costa Rica, however, it is possible to study the genesis process from formation of the initial disturbance until, in some cases, it grows into a hurricane over a more compact geographical region."
Researchers also will be able to take advantage of their proximity to the Caribbean and the western Gulf of Mexico, studying tropical systems off Costa Rica's eastern shores during more mature phases of development.
"This experiment is significant for two reasons," said Robbie Hood, an atmospheric scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. She is one of three lead scientists for the project in Costa Rica. "We will have an opportunity to take a closer look at the factors contributing to the initiation and intensification of tropical cyclones which are still somewhat mysterious processes for researchers and operational forecasters. We will also be examining what are the best combinations of satellite and aircraft technologies to improve how hurricanes are monitored and predicted," she said.
"Building on a quarter century of ever improving spaceborne observations of the Earth, we are entering an exciting new era. It will be using information collected by satellites and uninhabited aerial vehicles to the best advantage for improved weather prediction and other societal benefits," Hood said.
The new study continues NASA's successful Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX) research series, conducted from 1998 to 2001 with NOAA. TCSP participants include NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, five NASA centers, 10 American universities and partner agencies in Costa Rica. For more information about TCSP on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/hurricane_2005.html
http://tcsp.nsstc.nasa.gov/tcsp
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
NASA
Missions will be flown over the region using NASA's ER-2 and NOAA's WP-3D Orion aircraft and with unmanned aerial vehicles (aerosondes). The unmanned flights will be managed in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Boulder. The airborne experiments will collect temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind information related to tropical cyclones and other phenomena that often lead to development of more powerful storms at sea. The field operations will also take advantage of several NASA and NOAA satellites.
NASA and the Instituto Meteorologico Nacional of Costa Rica also will launch a series of RS-92 series, balloon-borne probes (sondes), to measure humidity and other data related to tropical storm origins.
"Costa Rica is an ideal location for this research," said Dr. Ramesh Kakar, Weather Focus Area leader for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A vast number of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the eastern Pacific are spawned near the small Central American nation's western coast.
"In the Atlantic, cyclogenesis often occurs off the western coast of Africa, or sufficiently far out over the ocean that long-duration science flights are extremely difficult," Kakar said. "In the eastern Pacific near Costa Rica, however, it is possible to study the genesis process from formation of the initial disturbance until, in some cases, it grows into a hurricane over a more compact geographical region."
Researchers also will be able to take advantage of their proximity to the Caribbean and the western Gulf of Mexico, studying tropical systems off Costa Rica's eastern shores during more mature phases of development.
"This experiment is significant for two reasons," said Robbie Hood, an atmospheric scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. She is one of three lead scientists for the project in Costa Rica. "We will have an opportunity to take a closer look at the factors contributing to the initiation and intensification of tropical cyclones which are still somewhat mysterious processes for researchers and operational forecasters. We will also be examining what are the best combinations of satellite and aircraft technologies to improve how hurricanes are monitored and predicted," she said.
"Building on a quarter century of ever improving spaceborne observations of the Earth, we are entering an exciting new era. It will be using information collected by satellites and uninhabited aerial vehicles to the best advantage for improved weather prediction and other societal benefits," Hood said.
The new study continues NASA's successful Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX) research series, conducted from 1998 to 2001 with NOAA. TCSP participants include NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, five NASA centers, 10 American universities and partner agencies in Costa Rica. For more information about TCSP on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/hurricane_2005.html
http://tcsp.nsstc.nasa.gov/tcsp
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
NASA
Tropical Cyclones Current Events and Tropical Cyclones News RSSWarmer seas linked to strengthening hurricanes: FSU study fuels global warming debate
The theory that global warming may be contributing to stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 30 years is bolstered by a new study led by a Florida State University researcher. The study will be published in the Sept. 4 edition of the journal Nature.
Special topics in environmental mechanics
With rapid development of economics since the 1980s, people have been increasingly realized that the environment plays an important role in the sustainable development of society and economy.
For hurricanes, storms, raindrop size makes all the difference
When Tropical Storm Gaston hit Richmond, Va., in August 2004, its notable abundance of small and mid-sized raindrops created torrential rains that led to unexpected flash flooding throughout the city and its suburbs. New research from NASA has concluded that tropical cyclones like Gaston produce rain differently than another class of storms called "extra-tropical" cyclones.
How strong is a hurricane? Just listen
Knowing how powerful a hurricane is, before it hits land, can help to save lives or to avoid the enormous costs of an unnecessary evacuation. Some MIT researchers think there may be a better, cheaper way of getting that crucial information.
Hurricane Forecasters Adopt NCAR Radar Technique
The National Hurricane Center will implement a new technique this summer, developed by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), to continually monitor landfalling storms in the United States.
Accuracy of past hurricane counts good
Counting tropical storms that occurred before the advent of aircraft and satellites relies on ships logs and hurricane landfalls, making many believe that the numbers of historic tropical storms in the Atlantic are seriously undercounted.
Frequency of Atlantic hurricanes doubled over last century, climate change suspected
About twice as many Atlantic hurricanes form each year on average than a century ago, according to a new statistical analysis of hurricanes and tropical storms in the north Atlantic.
Research finds evidence tropical cyclones have climate-control role
Purdue University researchers have found evidence that tropical cyclones and hurricanes play an important role in the ocean circulation patterns that transport heat and maintain the climate of North America and Europe.
NASA's Advanced Technology Peers Deep Inside Hurricanes
Determined to understand why some storms grow into hurricanes while others fizzle, NASA scientists recently looked deep into thunderstorms off the African coast using satellites and airplanes.
NASA'S live tropical sea surface temperature Web site gives climate, hurricane clues
Sea surface temperatures give scientists information about ocean currents, climate, climate change and how a hurricane may evolve. Now, NASA has a web page that provides frequent updates on changing ocean temperatures.
More Tropical Cyclones Current Events and Tropical Cyclones News Articles
 | Exploring Tropical Cyclones: GIS Investigations for the Earth Sciences, ArcGIS® Edition by Michelle K. Hall, C. Scott Walker, Jennifer A. Weeks, Larry P. Kendall, Jeff S. Jenness Explore, analyze, and elaborate on information you extract using ArcGIS® software with EXPLORING TROPICAL CYCLONES: GIS INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE EARTH SCIENCES. This interactive guides letsyou tap the power of the ArcGIS® software to explore, manipulate, and analyze large data sets. The guide emphasizes the visualization, analysis, and multimedia integration capabilities inherent to GIS. The GIS... |
 | Tropical Cyclones: Climatology and Impacts in the South Pacific by James P Terry This book provides an in-depth analysis of tropical cyclones in the South Pacific, discussing both the characteristics and behaviors of tropical cyclones, and the impacts these storms have on island physical geography and landscape change. The second half of the book presents a whole field of important, new insight. A thorough examination of the links between climate and landscape are analyzed... |
 | Exploring Tropical Cyclones: GIS Investigations for the Earth Sciences (with CD-ROM) by Michelle K. Hall, Christian J. Schaller, C. Scott Walker, Larry P. Kendall The popularity of geographic information system (GIS) software as a tool in the social and physical sciences is growing rapidly. These three modular investigation guides let even novice users tap the power of ArcView® GIS to explore, manipulate, and analyze large data sets. Carefully designed and class tested, the guides emphasize the visualization, analysis, and multimedia integration... |
| A tropical cyclone data tape for the North Atlantic basin, 1886-1977: Contents, limitations, and uses (NOAA technical memorandum ; NWS NHC 6) by Brian R Jarvinen | |
| A climatology of tropical cyclone activity in Alabama: 1886-1999.: An article from: Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science by Philip L. Chaney This digital document is an article from Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science, published by Alabama Academy of Science on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 4816 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web... | |
 | Evaluation of Northwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast Difficulty and Skill as a Function of Environmental Structure This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A821113. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: A Systematic Approach for... |
| Calculating Tropical Cyclone Critical Wind Radii and Storm Size Using NSCAT Winds This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A034343. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: Subjective and objective... |
| Tropical Cyclones by P.R. Pisharoty | |
| Southern Hemisphere Application of the Systematic Approach to Tropical Cyclone Track Forecasting. Part 1: Environmental Structure Characteristics This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A422733. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The environment structure... |
| Tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1871-1992 (SuDoc C 55.287/58:T 75/871-992) by U.S. National Archives and Records Administration |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |