Dr. Fuqing Zhang to participate in major hurricane field study to tackle long-standing mystery

July 20, 2010

BOULDER—Scientists are launching a major field project next month in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to solve a central mystery of hurricanes: Why do certain clusters of tropical thunderstorms grow into the often-deadly storms while many others dissipate? The results should eventually help forecasters provide more advance warning to those in harm’s way.

PREDICT, the Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud Systems in the Tropics, will run from August 15 to September 30, the height of hurricane season. The project is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR’s sponsor.

[Full story from UCAR]