Re: Noaa drone
Posted by Chris in Tampa on 9/24/2011, 2:27 am
That is a lot of money. I'm not sure how valuable data would be in the eye at a very low altitude on a frequent basis. I guess I could understand doing it once or twice on some powerful storms. I guess there are some measurements that would be interesting to study on how a storm extracts heat from the water, and maybe every storm being different is enough to warrant more research if it is really helpful. But it seems very limited. Then they just crash it into the eyewall, I guess the main purpose is at low altitudes in the eye. If they wanted something more from the eyewall, I would think they could simply release more dropsondes with something special on them to stay in the air longer, like a stronger parachute that could let it act like a sail and it could get carried around a little more. Maybe they could release more in the eyewall than they do. Then again, dropsondes get expensive too.

If this data is really beneficial, I hope they develop something reusable, but that might cost a great deal more than just doing it occasionally with something that works once.

I guess it is worth the money to try it out once. (Especially since at least one person at the NHC thinks it could be beneficial.) Circling around the eye of a powerful hurricane for over an hour right above the water's surface is data we've never had before and I guess this is the cheapest way to find out. (Developing something reusable first would have cost a lot when you don't know how useful this will be and perhaps current reusable, expensive, drones that exist would be in too much jeopardy to do this or can't do something like this without an expensive overhaul.)
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Noaa drone - jimw, 9/23/2011, 7:49 pm
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