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Eye on the Storm

Hurricane season in the North Atlantic begins on June 1, which means scientists are once again preparing for any opportunity to study large storms. One of the key drivers of hurricanes over the ocean is heat pulled from surface waters, but information about how much energy is available is difficult to obtain because of the danger of working so near a storm. ALAMO (Air Launched Autonomous Micro Observer) floats are deployed from a “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft and designed to spend months gathering data in front of and behind a storm from the surface to a depth of 1000 meters (3,300 feet). (Photo by Robert Todd, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)