Saildrone, NOAA and Rutgers improve Hurricane Beryl monitoring

10 July 2024
GPS World

AI Generated Summary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in partnership with Saildrone and Rutgers University, has deployed seven hurricane-tracking saildrones in strategic locations during Hurricane Beryl.

This partnership is a significant step forward in the use of uncrewed systems for environmental monitoring, with the aim of improving understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone intensity changes, particularly rapid intensification.

The unmanned surface vessels, equipped with a specialized “Hurricane Wing” to withstand extreme wind conditions, and underwater gliders, deployed by Rutgers, are crucial for measuring subsurface ocean conditions and understanding how variations in temperature and salinity affect hurricane strength.