Research on forecasting and managing disasters

As the climate changes, weather events could become more extreme: Hurricanes are expected to increase in intensity. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms may occur more often. Shifts in airborne moisture patterns known as atmospheric rivers can hold storm systems in place for long periods of time, causing flooding. In other places, long-term droughts could occur. Michigan Engineering researchers are developing better ways to understand these events, predict them, and manage their impacts. As one example, they lead the CYGNSS mission, a constellation of eight microsatellite observatories designed to provide unprecedented detail about the inner cores of hurricanes. CYGNSS, launched in December 2016, is expected to dramatically improve hurricane intensity forecasts.