Table XIV. — U.S. economic loss from various hurricanes since 1966 

 [In millions of dollars] 



Hurricane 



Year 



Damage 



Diane... 

 Audrey. 

 Donna.. 

 Carla... 

 Isabella. 



Cleo 



HUda.... 



Dora 



Betsy... 

 Alma 



Total. 



4,030 



Source: Dept. of Commerce. 



Improved predictions of many ocean conditions would directly 

 benefit coastal communities, shipping and offshore oil, gas, and other 

 resource exploitation activities. Predictions of ocean temperatures, 

 currents, ice, and sea state conditions in the open sea aid fishing, mari- 

 time commerce, and naval operations. Forecasts of subsurface ocean 

 conditions are equally important for fishing, naval activities, and ex- 

 ploitation of the Continehtal Shelf. 



Improved accuracy and time range of weather forecasts and im- 

 proved predictions of the state of the oceans depend on a deep under- 

 standing of the mutual interactions of ocean and atmosphere. 



For these purposes, the atmosphere and the oceans can be considered 

 as continually interacting parts of a single global fluid system. The 

 oceans, as solar-heated reservoirs of moisture, critically influence 

 weather and climate. The weather in turn plays a role in driving the 

 currents of the oceans and determining the sea state. In turn, the 

 oceans determine the patterns of climate as demonstrated, for instance, 

 by the influence of the Gulf Stream in moderating the weather and 

 climate of Western Europe. 



Technological Tools 



Technology is beginning to provide new tools to observe and meas- 

 ure the global state of the atmosphere and oceans and the relationships 

 between oceanic conditions and the weather. Meteorological satellites 

 detect and track hurricanes and other ocean storms. Seismological 

 instruments detect undersea earthquakes that cause tsunamis. Radar 

 and other remote probing devices detect squalls and storms. 



Modern computers and data processing techniques have considerably 

 improved our capability for handling the increasingly large volumes 



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