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On September 26 off the coast of Florida, Jacob Davis, a UW doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering, drops a wave monitoring sensor from a US Navy aircraft. To try to enhance storm forecasts all across the world, data from this technology created at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory will be integrated with other observations.
On Monday, scientists gave up on technology they had created at the University of Washington off the coast of Florida to record ocean waves in Hurricane Ian’s path. The test is a component of a bigger project to enhance forecasting for these quick and lethal systems. The team, which included Jacob Davis, a UW doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering, and members of the US Navy’s VXS-1 Squadron deployed the devices along the way.
Tracked Surface Wave Instrument Float, or SWIFT, is the name given to the sensors produced by UW. The group employed a scaled-down variation for this study, known as microSWIFT. To gather precise data of the waves and currents on the ocean’s surface, the sensors can float with the waves. Sensors have been deployed in the past to monitor the waves in the Arctic Ocean, which is changing, and near suitable locations for marine turbines.
On September 1, microSWIFT technology was “dropped” to direct the device downward. 26 volumes. To try to enhance storm forecasts all across the world, data from this technology created at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory will be integrated with other observations. Navy personnel/VXS-1
The deployment, is a component of a bigger group effort to enhance storm forecasting. On the same flight, instruments from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Sofar Ocean Technology will be used to supplement the MicroSWIFT observations of the ocean’s surface.
“The idea is to understand the specifics of wave creation in hurricanes, particularly in terms of their speed and winds,” said Jim Thomson, an oceanographer with the company. Professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW, as well as the Applied Physics Laboratory. The ultimate objective is to increase forecasting of where and when waves, including storm surge, will affect shorelines.
With the assistance of support flights from the US Naval Science Development Squadron, this work was completed in conjunction with the Coastal Impact program of the National Oceanographic Partnership. The Office of Naval Research provided funding for the research.