Atlantic hurricane season is about to enter its peak period and residents of the Caribbean and eastern US are bracing themselves for a wild ride. Earlier in the year the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted above average activity in 2013, with an expected 13 to 20 named storms, of which 7 to 11 are likely to reach hurricane strength – well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, six of which reach hurricane strength. And when those storms do materialise, meteorologists will be able to make use of a new tool to track the winds and predict where landfall will occur.
NASA scientist, Stephen Katzberg, has been gleaning valuable information from the distortion in GPS signals, caused by a storm. When the sea is calm, around 60% of the GPS signal is reflected back towards the sky. But when strong winds stir up the waves, the signal is scattered more. By looking at how much the signal is bounced and buffeted around by the waves, Katzberg and his colleagues can measure and map the wind speeds creating those waves.
For their research, which was published in the journal 'Radio Science' earlier in the year, Katzberg and his colleagues placed their receivers on the bottom of NOAA's hurricane hunting planes, but in the future they could be glued to the bottom of commercial jets and drones. And hopefully the extra information will ensure that everyone is better prepared this year, when the next big storm decides to spin up.
