SEACOOS Investigators Quoted in National Geographic

The story outlined how "scientists are urgently trying to forecast the next killer hurricanes."

Dr. Shay discussed how discussed how some hurricanes intensify due to passing over warm water at great depths rather than simply taking heat from surface layers. Shay detects this phenomenon by examing satellite imagery for subtle bulges in the sea surface which indicate subsurface warmth. Shay said. "It's not really rocket science, but here's something that works and improves intensity forecasts by 5 to 15 percent."

Dr. Luettich talked about his storm surge modeling and how it is affected by coastal features. Shallow coastal waters are easily catapulted into large walls of water during hurricanes. Bays and estuaries can funnel and intensify surge, for example, while barrier islands and wetlands can buffer it. "If you really want to wallop something," said Luettich, "Mississippi and Alabama are pretty close to ideal for maximum storm surge."

Researchers from University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, a SEACOOS partner, are also interviewed in the article.