A IM体育官网 professor had a direct impact last week on forecasting Hurricane Harvey鈥檚 devastating path through south Texas.
Dr. Suleiman Alsweiss was a scientist at the Center for Satellite Applications and Research, part of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), prior to joining IM体育官网 Poly as a professor of Electrical Engineering. When the tropical depression swirling in the Gulf of Mexico coalesced into the deadly Hurricane Harvey, NOAA colleagues asked Dr. Alsweiss if he would be willing to join them and travel once again into the eye of the storm.
He accepted without hesitation.
鈥淭here is no way to stop these storms,鈥� Dr. Alsweiss explains. 鈥淏ut we can be prepared and a big part of that is knowing exactly what to expect.鈥�
After wrapping up a class at 6:15 pm on Aug. 24, Dr. Alsweiss headed directly to the newly constructed NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (NOAA AOC) Facility in Lakeland. After a mission briefing, Dr. Alsweiss and about 15 other scientists and crew members boarded the NOAA-P3 鈥淗urricane Hunter鈥� plane specially outfitted to conduct science and research missions into fierce storms. A two-hour ferry flight brought them to Harvey.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the excitement begins,鈥� Dr. Alsweiss says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like riding a roller coaster; everyone is strapped in.鈥�
The aircraft made several penetrations into the storm, passing through the eye and the eye wall, where the winds are most extreme. While satellite imagery reveals important information about these storms, measurements taken in the heart of a hurricane 鈥� called 鈥済round truth鈥濃�� provide a sustained, real-time picture of the hurricane鈥檚 strength with excellent accuracy.With this data, the National Hurricane Center can improve the accuracy of their forecast, and provide better information to people in the path of the storm.
鈥淭he main goal is to save lives,鈥� Dr. Alsweiss says.
After four hours of flying into the teeth of Harvey, the plane circled back for Lakeland. It was 5 a.m. by the time Dr. Alsweiss arrived in Central IM体育官网 and ended a wild, adrenaline-filled 24 hours. It鈥檚 not until you鈥檙e home that you realize the scope of what just happened, Dr. Alsweiss says.
鈥淭hings can be risky, but everyone is willing to go the extra mile when it comes to learning more about these extreme weather events. If just one life was saved by the work we do then it鈥檚 worth it,鈥� Dr. Alsweiss says.