1st oceanic drone video from inside a hurricane

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For the first time, an oceanic drone entered a hurricane and returned video. This ocean-going drone, a 23-foot-long Saildrone Explorer SD 1045, entered the furious Category 4 winds of Hurricane Sam on September 30, 2021, as it swirled in the Atlantic Ocean. The Saildrone returned images of 50-foot waves churned by winds of 120 miles per hour (190 km / h). The resulting videos of the storm-choppy ocean could make even those watching on solid ground seasick.

Ocean drone explores Hurricane Sam

Oceanic drone: red floating craft with straight solid sail and arm with sensors.
Saildrone is the company that makes this ocean-going drone that explored the interior of Hurricane Sam. In this photo, the Saildrone is being tested in the calmer waters of San Francisco Bay. Image via Saildrone.com.

Saildrone Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have teamed up to place the oceanic drone in the heart of the hurricane in hopes of obtaining data to better predict dangerous storms. Not one, but five ocean drones float in key areas of the Atlantic Ocean where storms have historically occurred. The organizations hope eventually to have an even larger fleet to monitor the ocean.

Ocean drones are equipped with a hurricane wing. The hurricane wing ensures the stability of these drones to operate in ravaged waters and in extremely windy conditions. The data collected by drones can help scientists understand how tropical storms develop and intensify. NOAA scientist Greg Foltz said:

Using data collected by saildrones, we plan to improve forecast models that predict rapid intensification of hurricanes. The rapid intensification, when hurricane winds build up within hours, poses a serious threat to coastal communities. New data from sail drones and other unmanned systems used by NOAA will help us better predict the forces driving hurricanes and be able to warn communities sooner.

Return critical data

The five saildrones currently in the Atlantic are returning data in real time. Drones provide information on air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, water temperature and salinity, sea surface temperature and height and the wave period. Drones share this information with 20 agencies around the world.

Four graphs showing the relationship between wind speed, barometric pressure, dissolved oxygen and wave height.
These are the recordings the Saildrone took inside Hurricane Sam on September 30, 2021. Image via Saildrone.com.

More video from inside Hurricane Sam

Richard Jenkins, Founder and CEO of Saildrone, said:

Saildrone goes where no research vessel has ever been, sailing right into the eye of the hurricane, collecting data that will transform our understanding of these mighty storms. After conquering the Arctic and the Southern Ocean, hurricanes were the last frontier for Saildrone’s survival. We are proud to have designed a vehicle capable of operating in the most extreme weather conditions on earth.

Bottom line: An ocean-going drone entered a powerful hurricane swirling in the Atlantic Ocean on September 30, 2021. It returned the first video of a sailing drone taken inside a hurricane.

Via NOAA

Via Saildrone.com

Kelly kizer whitt

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About the Author:

Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science writer specializing in astronomy for over two decades. She started her career at Astronomy Magazine and has regularly contributed to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club, among others. Her children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, was published in 2012. She also wrote a dystopian young adult novel called A Different Sky. When not reading or writing about astronomy and gazing at the stars, she enjoys traveling in national parks, creating crosswords, running, playing tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives with her family in Wisconsin.

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