Present Day Satellite Technology for Hurricane Research: A Closer Look at Formation and Intensification

Tropical cyclones are the most damaging and destructive weather event on Earth. Happily, forecasting their motion and landfall has improved greatly in the years since the mid-1970s, in considerable part owing to satellite observations and computer models. However, intensity forecasts show much less skill, and the process of hurricane formation involves many conflicting and unverified hypotheses. A major problem has been the lack of observations, particularly observations that resolve mesoscale systems. For example, the Doppler radar network on the U.S. coastline can detect mesoscale systems when they are close to shore. When in mid-ocean, however, fleets of research aircraft, with radar, dropwindsondes and many other remote and in-situ instruments have been necessary to detect mesoscale features in developing storms. Deployments of research aircraft are expensive and only rarely do they "catch" a hurricane in its formation or early deepening stage. Additionally, few nations under the threat of tropical cyclones can afford such technology. As a result, in this chapter we use satellite tools that are capable of measuring or deducing events on the mesoscale to help clarify issues associated with hurricane formation and intensification. Because such technology can be made available to many nations via the Internet, it is a potentially valuable source for improving tropical cyclone warning and prediction worldwide.