Jose, forecasters would agree, has nowhere to hide. But even today, though meteorologists are able to make graphic projections of where Jose might go, estimating the ultimate fury of the storm remains an elusive goal. Recently, forecasters have been toying with another space-based monitoring device that is expected to enhance their ability to predict the intensity of hurricanes. Combined with a new forecasting model announced last week, meteorologists next year may have a good handle on how strong the winds will be when a hurricane makes landfall, regardless of where it hits. The contribution of data from space comes in the form of altimeter readings that measure minute differences in the height of the ocean.
Warm water expands, physically lifting the sea surface.
These readings allow researchers to spot the warm eddies of water. The technique has been developed by Gustavo Goni at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, along with researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder. These remote-sensing satellites use a technique that measures the travel time of a microwave pulse reflected off the ocean's surface. Peering through clouds, satellite altimetry allows scientists to map sea surface height, significant wave height and wind speed over all of the world's oceans in real time. Warm air rises off the surface of the water, creating an area of low pressure that sucks more air in from the surrounding surface.