Although Hurricane Beryl’s ferocity was unprecedented — the Atlantic’s earliest forming Category 5 tropical cyclone on record, developing and intensifying to maximum wind speed in less than four days — hurricane scientists with NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory were prepared, sampling Beryl from sea, sky, and space with an array of observational instruments, providing invaluable data to safeguard life and property while also aiding future research to understand tropical cyclone processes.
Ocean temperature and salinity features influence a hurricane’s ability to pull deeper waters upward that cool the surface ocean. An underwater glider deployed by Rutgers University’s Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, RU29, was near Beryl’s projected path and, as Beryl approached, was moved to inside the forecast cone. Soon after, the storm crossed directly over the glider, collecting measurements of how Beryl mixed, cooled, and changed the ocean below the hurricane’s eyewall. This is believed to be the first time a glider has been beneath the eyewall of a category 5 hurricane.
A saildrone in the Caribbean was also tasked with the mission of intercepting Hurricane Beryl. Saildrones are uncrewed surface vehicles that sample the storm environment where the atmosphere meets the ocean. This boundary layer is critical to understanding how a storm draws energy from the ocean to fuel its development.
All of this contributed to an understanding of the evolution of the atmosphere and ocean before, during, and after tropical cyclones.
NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter P3-Orion and Gulfstream-IV aircraft flew into Hurricane Beryl, piloted by aviators from the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and carrying scientists into the eye of the storm. These researchers were tasked with gathering data from onboard instruments, as well as launching instruments into the storm. Over eight days, P-3 and G-IV missions released 387 dropsondes and 20 ultra-light experimental StreamSondes into the storm. These instruments gather atmospheric data as they fall to the ocean, giving scientists a picture of what’s happening inside the storm and how it’s developing.
From above, NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) provided high-resolution imagery about Beryl’s structure, track, and intensity. These observations were critical in forecasting Beryl’s rapid intensification.
Hurricane Beryl demonstrated the value of collaborative research and showcased how technology and teamwork can push the boundaries of our understanding of hurricanes.
This research was conducted through the 2024 Hurricane Field Program. Support for this mission was provided by NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Office of Marine & Aviation Operations, Aircraft Operations Center, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Center for Environmental Prediction, Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing’s Extreme Events program, National Data Buoy Center, Saildrone, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, and Rutgers University in collaboration with the U.S. IOOS-led Hurricane Glider Coordination.
Funding and support for the Rutgers glider is provided by the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation with additional support from University of the Virgin Islands, Ocean and Coastal Observing – Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System, and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, with thanks to the Dominican Republic and Curaçao for permitting passage of the glider through their waters for marine research.
