COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Scientists deployed some new tools to help predict the storm, its intensity and its movements.
The self-propelled submersibles, which look like torpedoes, can stay out at sea for months at a time. They can reach depths of over 3,000 feet and record measurements as storms pass overhead.
By measuring changes in water temperature, salt content and oxygen levels they can better predict how strong a storm is likely to become.
"The hope for these robots is that we keep them continually during hurricane season and we provide better information for the forecasters to minimize harm to our communities," Barbara Kirkpatrick with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing.
Scientists hope that the more accurate they can be forecasting the intensity of storms the more trust people will have in evacuation orders when they are issued.
GCOOS provides on-demand information about the Gulf's coastal and open ocean waters.