Nasa will use three aircraft to study tropical cyclones on 15 August as part of its first major US-based hurricane field campaign since 2001.
The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) mission will study the creation and rapid intensification of hurricanes.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The three Nasa aircraft are a DC-8, a WB-57 and a remotely piloted Global Hawk. They will carry a total of 15 instruments ranging from an advanced microwave sounder to dropsondes that take measurements as they fall through the atmosphere to the ocean surface.
The instruments will analyse many factors, including cloud droplet and aerosol concentrations, air temperature, wind speed and direction in storms and on the ocean’s surface, air pressure, humidity, lightning and aerosols, and examine water vapour.
Along with the aircraft, three Nasa satellites will also play a key role in supplying data about tropical cyclones during the field mission.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) will provide rainfall estimates and help pinpoint the locations of powerhouse thunderstorms in tropical cyclones.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe CloudSat spacecraft will provide cloud profiles of storms including altitude, temperatures and rainfall intensity.
Nasa’s Aqua satellite will provide infrared, visible and microwave data to reveal temperature, air pressure, precipitation, cloud ice content, convection and sea surface temperatures.
Nasa GRIP programme scientist Ramesh Kakar said that for the first time, scientists will be able to study these storms and the conditions that produce them for up to 20 hours straight.
