Development of Balloon System for Continuous Measurement of Hurricane Eye Properties

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

In order to obtain the greatly needed in-situ, continuous information on hurricane properties, a balloon measuring system will be developed that can be deployed from aircraft into the eyes of hurricanes. The hybrid system includes a natural shaped balloon to carry the measurement equipment and an attached drogue near the surface to maintain the balloon altitude. The hypothesis is that the inflow into the center of a hurricane will keep the balloon system in or very near the eye for the life of the storm over water. The goal is to obtain continuous measurements in the storm center where major fluctuations of storm intensity occur. Furthermore, the measurements will serve as "ground truth" for satellite-based techniques for estimating storm intensity. The project is the Phase I of a broader-scale effort. In this phase, the balloon system will be developed and tested in controlled environments, in numerical simulations and, to a limited extent, in the field. If successful, a Phase II proposal will be submitted for more extensive field-testing in real hurricanes, and possible operational implementation. A subcontractor, Modelsym, Inc, will carry out the fabrication of the balloon system. The planned work, if proven to be successful, would be of tremendous value in providing an inexpensive approach to obtaining valuable data for hurricanes.