Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Glider Operations in Support of Tropical Cyclone Intensification Forecasts

During the 2019 peak hurricane season, two gliders operated by Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and funded by Shell Exploration & Production Company were deployed as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Glider Program to collect near-real time subsurface ocean temperature and salinity measurements for data assimilation into global ocean and hurricane models. The missions were designed to resolve regional ocean features that can contribute to hurricane intensity and provide spatial coverage in the event of a tropical cyclone with the intent to capture potential intensification prior to landfall. For the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River plume, Loop Current, and Loop Current Eddies are areas of interest that can contribute to hurricane intensity. Tropical Storms Nester and Olga were named storms during the 2019 season in the Atlantic Basin, and their trajectories passed by the USM and TAMU gliders, respectively. While changes in the sea surface temperature were more likely due to the presence of seasonal fronts rather than the passing of these tropical storms, the data did indicate pockets of subsurface warm water under a freshwater plume from the Mississippi River. Currently, multiple hurricane glider missions are underway in the Gulf of Mexico during a record breaking 2020 season with Hurricane Laura anticipated to make landfall early morning (local time) on Thursday, August 27, 2020 near the Texas/Louisiana border.