WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:06.920
In 2018, Hurricanes Florence and Michael made catastrophic landfalls over the United States.

2
00:00:06.920 --> 00:00:10.380
They caused extreme flooding, record-breaking winds,

3
00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:13.610
and storm surges that devastated communities.

4
00:00:13.610 --> 00:00:18.040
Understanding how hurricanes behave is critical to saving lives.

5
00:00:18.040 --> 00:00:21.360
How a hurricane forms, develops and dissipates

6
00:00:21.360 --> 00:00:23.400
is a complex problem though;

7
00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.280
it involves many different processes that are highly interconnected.

8
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:31.530
But from space and the air, NASA satellites and aircraft

9
00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:37.380
can break down the underlying physics by monitoring each component of a hurricane.

10
00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:40.750
There are key ingredients for hurricanes to form.

11
00:00:40.750 --> 00:00:44.260
First, we need warm waters that provide fuel for the storms.

12
00:00:44.260 --> 00:00:47.350
Water evaporates from the warm ocean

13
00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:51.860
and creates humid air, which then rises and cools to form clouds and rain.

14
00:00:51.860 --> 00:00:58.180
3D structures to look for inside storms are long rain bands and a near-circular eyewall.

15
00:00:58.180 --> 00:01:01.500
The warmer the ocean, the stronger the storm can be,

16
00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:03.080
which often means heavy rainfall

17
00:01:03.080 --> 00:01:06.000
and extreme winds.

18
00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.480
Understanding each component is just part of the puzzle.

19
00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:15.620
The key is to figure out how they fit together and to do this, scientists step into the digital world.

20
00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:18.990
This is a computer-generated model of a hurricane.

21
00:01:18.990 --> 00:01:24.070
Inside this digital environment, the atmosphere is programmed to behave

22
00:01:24.070 --> 00:01:28.440
as much as possible like the real world, governed by the laws of physics.

23
00:01:28.440 --> 00:01:34.200
What makes this a valuable research tool is that scientists can put satellite observations

24
00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:38.040
into this digital world to see how the entire system evolves.

25
00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:43.220
The impact of a hurricane lasts long after the storm has dissipated.

26
00:01:43.220 --> 00:01:47.820
Satellites and aircraft can also be used to monitor damage and recovery.

27
00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:54.120
In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused the longest electric power blackout

28
00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:56.090
in U.S. history in Puerto Rico.

29
00:01:56.090 --> 00:01:59.990
Over the following year, satellite data helped first responders

30
00:01:59.990 --> 00:02:02.780
monitor where and when power was restored.

31
00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:08.300
And after Hurricane Maria, aircraft were used to map the island's recovering forests.

32
00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:16.260
Satellites, aircraft, and computer models help us understand each stage of a hurricane including the aftermath.

33
00:02:16.260 --> 00:02:21.100
As we learn more, not only will other agencies better forecast weather,

34
00:02:21.100 --> 00:02:24.890
but communities will have more time to prepare and evacuate

35
00:02:24.890 --> 00:02:27.580
from potentially dangerous storms.

36
00:02:27.580 --> 00:02:37.269