Hurricane Watch

The Atlantic tropical region battles approximately ten named tropical storms and six hurricanes each year during the ocean’s warmest months. In 2005, we saw one of the most active hurricane seasons ever. Until Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 had been the costliest hurricane with nearly $35 billion in damages, as measured by today’s economic standards. While landfall prediction has improved, information on storm intensity is still limited, and an eye from the sky could help keep track of the conditions and parameters fueling storms.

CSTARS began monitoring tropical cyclones during the 2004 hurricane season. Partnered with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and SpotImage, CSTARS is utilizing civilian microwave and electro-optical satellite sensors in a HurricaneWatch program. Building on the HurricaneWatch program and utilizing the same satellite sensors, CSTARS is also capable of assessing coastal landform dynamics through real-time monitoring and evaluation of the geomorphic impact of storms. A long-term database of repeat observations is required to distinguish short-term perturbations from long-term change. For numerous ecologically sensitive regions and economically vulnerable areas of interest, a quantitative assessment of impacts and controlling factors can be made with a combination of microwave and electro-optical satellite image data.

Following catastrophic events, as much as one to two weeks commonly elapse before assessments of change in either human or natural landscape are made. Using archive data of past and more recent hurricanes and tropical storms, CSTARS documents and provides a current assessment of the damaged landscape/seascape. These data provide decision-makers with information and knowledge of the dynamic coastal system with emphasis on the most vulnerable regions. Using CSTARS’ capabilities, meaningful rapid assessment of damage patterns to communities and structures can be quickly determined, while needed rescue assistance and reconstruction teams can be promptly dispatched.

Satellite remote sensing provides a critical, near real-time approach to acquire observations day and night, in all weather conditions, for improved and timely characteristics of tropical cyclones and hurricanes and rapid and detailed assessment of damages from the impact of natural hazards.