Global Positioning System dropwindsondes are released by Hurricane Hunter Aircraft to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speeds. Dropwindsonde data show what the wind, temperature and moisture are like nearest the ocean surface. In this study, hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean are compared with typhoons in the Pacific Ocean.
Important Conclusions:
1. The atmospheric region nearest the ocean surface is generally similar in typhoons and hurricanes.
2. This region in typhoons tends to be warmer and moister than that in hurricanes.
3. This helps us understand and forecast the way that heat and moisture from the ocean drives tropical cyclones.
The paper can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JD022640/full.