Saildrone Captures First Ocean-Based Video Inside a Hurricane

摘要

Researchers have recorded the first-ever video footage from inside a hurricane captured by an ocean-going vehicle. The video was captured by the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045, which is the product of Saildrone, Inc. Researchers from Saildrone and NOAA directed the vehicle, known as an uncrewed surface vehicle, or USV, into Category 4 hurricane Sam. The USV recorded 50-foot waves and winds exceeding 120mph. It features a specially designed "hurricane wing," which allows it to function under such extreme conditions and collect real-time observations for numerical hurricane prediction models. SD 1045 is one of five such vehicles that were deployed into the Atlantic Ocean to collect data during the 2021 hurricane season in an effort to improve storm forecasting. The data is transmitted directly to NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.