(Describer) Above an ocean horizon, a logo of a wave rises. Title: Ocean Today.
(Describer) A big swirling cloud is shown with a few small planes. Titles: Tracking Storms. The Hurricane Hunters. The picture swirls and fades.
(Describer) A plane takes off. With another one, subtitles: Pilot 1: “John, how far north are we going to be going on the northbound track?” Pilot 2: “108 miles north of the eye.” The planes each have a round disk under them.
(male narrator)
Hurricane hunting is not
for the faint at heart.
These brave men and women
must fly
into one of the most
destructive forces in nature.
(Describer) One flies into a cloud.
Hurricanes are born
over the open ocean,
and while satellites
can track their movement,
meteorologists
and researchers
need to sample
the storms directly
to get the most accurate
information about them.
(Describer) It flies through space surrounded by clouds.
NOAA's hurricane hunter fleet
includes
two P-3 turboprop aircraft,
as well as
a Gulfstream IV jet.
(Describer) ...which is smaller.
The P-3s fly
through the storm,
encountering
devastating winds
that can be
over 150 miles per hour.
The jet can fly higher than
the turboprops,
gathering data
from the upper atmosphere.
Both planes have
high-tech equipment on board
to get the job done,
like radar and fixed probes
that measure particles
in the air.
(Describer) One probe sticks out the front. A cylinder is dropped.
Scientists also deploy
dropwindsondes,
which parachute down through the
hurricane to the ocean surface,
sending back data
on...
(Describer) A 3D model of a storm is made.
These measurements
can help us understand
the structure of a storm
and the winds steering it.
The data is used in computer
models that help forecasters
predict how intense
the hurricane will be
and where and when
it will strike land.
(Describer) The forecasted path for Hurricane Katrina is shown.
Hurricane hunters take
a literal look
into the eye of a monster
formed by nature.
Their courage helps further
science, which saves lives.
(Describer) A plane with a probe flies out of a cloud.
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Funding to purchase and make
this educational production
accessible was provided by the
U.S. Department of Education:
PH: 1-800-USA-LEARN (V)
or WEB: www.ed.gov.
