In-situ oceanographic observations of tropical cyclones from instrumented sea turtles (opens in new tab)

Tropical cyclones draw their energy from warm seas and, all other things being equal, the warmer the ocean surface, the more intense the storm. However, tropical cyclones also cool the surface ocean primarily by mixing it with deeper, cooler waters. The ‘cold wake’ acts as a negative feedback–reducing the storm’s intensity. Our ability to incorporate this information in forecasts is limited by a lack of ocean observations within tropical cyclones, particularly in shallow seas inaccessible to ...