The International Space Station has been outfitted with weather instruments with the goal of improving hurricane forecasts.
Two instruments are smaller and less costly than their more power-hungry weather satellite counterparts. The Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer (COWVR) is no bigger than a minifridge and the Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems (TEMPEST) is even smaller — about the size of a cereal box.
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The project will provide the same high-quality atmospheric observations as weather satellites many times their size and at a fraction of the cost.
Both the COWVR and TEMPEST will send back data used to make weather and climate predictions.
For boaters and surfers, the wind data will be especially helpful since the COWVER will detect wind vectors over the open ocean filling a void left from the decommissioned WindSat satellite.
At the same time, TEMPEST will complement wind measurements with observations of atmospheric moisture.
Collecting water vapor data at different layers around a hurricane is important for improving forecast model accuracy.
Weather and climate models use this type of data to make predictions. The more data that is available, the more accurate the models — and the predictions based on them — will be.
They will fill in missing information about how the air and sea interact and the impacts to weather and climate.
The amount of heat and moisture released by the ocean influences atmospheric conditions; likewise, atmospheric conditions, such as wind, influence ocean currents and heat distribution.
The more scientists learn about these interactions, the better they’ll understand how they affect weather in the short term and climate in the long term.