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A Storm’s Wrath

In September 1938 ,a hurricane struck New England with little warning, bringing wind gusts to 186 mph. The intense storm killed hundreds and devastated Cape Cod, including Silver Beach in Falmouth (shown here). WHOI scientists Glen Gawarkiewicz, Steve Jayne, Robert Todd, and Breck Owens are part of a team working to understand the complex factors contributing to storm intensity, in a project  called TEMPESTS (The Experiment to Measure and Predict East Coast Storm Strength.) The researchers are developing robotic ocean gliders and profiling floats, and launching them in the paths of oncoming storms to record water conditions where humans can’t go.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)