ng278-20190901T0000

This Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) Littoral Battlespace Sensing (LBS) glider was deployed as part of a multi-institutional effort that brings together the research and operational components within NOAA, the Navy, and the university community to implement and carry out sustained and targeted ocean observations from underwater gliders in the North West Tropical Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Mid and South Atlantic Bights. The upper ocean thermal structure in this region has been linked to rapid intensification of tropical cyclones, and to the seasonal Atlantic hurricane activity. However, there are only few (<300) upper ocean thermal observations carried out per year in this region. The goal of this work is to enhance our understanding of air-sea interaction processes during hurricane force wind events. In order to accomplish this goal, the network of hurricane underwater gliders was implemented to assess the impact of hurricane force winds on upper ocean density structure, and assess the impact of ocean profile data from underwater gliders in hurricane intensity forecasts.