HIRAD is designed to scan large areas of the ocean for microwave signals that can give scientist clues to the strength and dynamics of a potential hurricane. To test the HIRAD, scientist enter into a specialized chamber at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) known as the Anechoic Chamber. The quiet is the perfect place to perform tests with the HIRAD without the possibility of outside electromagnetic interference.
Being inside the Anechoic Chamber at MSFC is a rather nerve-racking experience. Special materials line the walls of the chamber making sound transmissions virtually impossible. The arrangement of the soundproofing materials minimize microwave reflections and eliminate electromagnetic interference. Hence, the feasibility of the HIRAD can be tested without problem.
How HIRAD Works
One of the greatest problems in forecasting hurricanes is predicting the intensity of a hurricane. As one example, no one could have expected Hurricane Humberto, which slammed into Texas on September 13, 2007, to be so unique. Humberto is said to be one of the fastest developing storms so near to land in all of the National Hurricane Center records. The storm grew in intensity overnight and went from being a tropical depression to a hurricane within about 24 hours. There is a need to offer better prediction capabilities to forecasters on the intensity of all tropical cyclones. And scientists have stepped up to help.HIRAD is designed to see through a hurricane and look past the intense rain bands of the storm. Interestingly, the method by which the HIRAD will see the intensity of a hurricane is by looking at the froth produced in the ocean beneath the hurricane. Intense winds will churn up the ocean producing a frothy foam that gives off its own form of microwave radiation.
The unit, still in a prototype phase, should be ready to perform maiden flights aboard an aircraft for the 2009 hurricane season. Eventually, scientists hope the project will become an instrument carried on a satellite to give a more global accuracy to hurricane prediction.
The HIRAD unit could improve upon the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) instrument which flies aboard the Hurricane Hunter WC-130J aircraft. The HIRAD provides a wider swath view of the ocean for improved accuracy. Currently, the ‘smurf’ or SFMR is located within a pod attached to a wing of the aircraft. Similar to the HIRAD, the smurf pod looks at microwave radiation emitted from ocean foam and froth. A printable fact sheet on the ‘smurf pod’ is available.
With time and funding, the HIRAD may be the next-generation hurricane prediction technology.