Hurricane data collection, much of it per- 

 formed by Navy, Air Force, and ESSA aircraft, 

 must be augmented by additional higli perform- 

 ance aircraft with up-to-date instrumentation. In 

 addition, there is a continuing operational require- 

 ment for more detailed meteorological data over 

 the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, specifically: 



—The network of upper air sounding stations in 

 the West Indies and the Carribean should be 

 improved. 



—Additional routine air reconnaissance to the 

 African coast should be instituted. 



—Upper-air wind measurements should be obtained 

 from merchant ships in tropical areas. 



—Early deployment of buoys to the east of the 

 Lesser Antilles to provide surface weather data 

 should be accompUshed. 



The data collected should be used not only to 

 support day-to-day forecast activities, but also to 

 test mathematical models and hurricane-modifica- 

 tion hypotheses. 



Reconunendation : 



The Hurricane Warning Service requires expanded 

 data networks. This Service should be accorded 

 high priority to take advantage of the latest 

 technical and operational developments. Addi- 



tional research is needed to improve our capability 

 to forecast hurricane development and motion. 



VII. ICE 



In reviewing the programs described in Chapter 

 3, we find that aerial iceberg observation services 

 are useful and effective with regard to ship routing 

 in the North Atlantic, but capabilities of pre- 

 dicting iceberg motion and sea ice distribution are 

 still limited. A fundamental lack of understand- 

 ing exists in regard to the transfer of heat and 

 stress from the air above and the water below to 

 the ice interface. Predictions of the subsequent 

 motions and deformation of sea ice require an 

 improved capability to forecast the wind near the 

 ocean surface. Since the most severe stresses are 

 imparted to the ice during periods of darkness 

 and/or severe storms, with thick clouds prevalent, 

 imagery acquired by airborne and satellite remote 

 sensors (see Chapter 5) is a requirement for rapid 

 advances in our understanding of sea ice dynamics. 



Recommendation : 



Research efforts to improve sea-ice forecasting 

 should be expanded; efforts in remote sensing of 

 glacial and sea ices, especially in sensors that can 

 penetrate clouds, are encouraged. Further basic 

 research in energy transfer through the air-ice- 

 water media to yield improved models of the 

 formation, growth, drift, deformation, and dis- 

 integration of different ice types is required. 



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