What happens to dropsondes after they hit the water?

[Ixolib]

Do they float, sink? How much does one cost? I've found "electonic" devices washed up on the beach at Ship & Horn island, but they were rectangular, not round. Anybody ever found one on the beach? How many get dropped in a given storm? Bunches of questions, huh!!

Oh yeah, is this an example of the ones they use?

[WeatherEmperor]

thats what I always wonder.

<RICKY>

[MGC]

sink like a rock. I asked when I was on Miss Piggy.....MGC

[wolfray]

Great question, have always wondered the same thing.....

[Radar]

Just imagine throughout the years how many are in the Atlantic and GOM

[StormsAhead]

All I could find was that they cost $600 each. Since some missions drop as many as 20 of them, there must be hundreds after every season.

[Radar]

$600.00 each? That is still cheaper then what the government pays for toliet seats LOL

[mahicks]

Anyone ever heard of one of these things hitting something or someone? They look kinda heavy. Heck, even if they only weighed as much as a can of coke.....OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[feederband]

Anyone ever heard of one of these things hitting something or someone? They look kinda heavy. Heck, even if they only weighed as much as a can of coke.....OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well if you are close to one of these things to hit you===You are in the wrong spot anyway..

[Ixolib]

Anyone ever heard of one of these things hitting something or someone? They look kinda heavy. Heck, even if they only weighed as much as a can of coke.....OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well if you are close to one of these things to hit you===You are in the wrong spot anyway..

[rtd2]

[quote="mahicks"]Anyone ever heard of one of these things hitting something or someone? They look kinda heavy. Heck, even if they only weighed as much as a can of coke.....OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Uhm...The odds of that are slim cause THEY DONT DROP over land and NOONE would hopefully Be Near the center OVER WATER! I asked a Cane hunter What happens to them before he said Most of them sink but a few have been found washed up in the past...

[micktooth]

Great question, I've often wondered the same thing. They are a valuable resource we couldn't do without.

[WeatherEmperor]

so what your saying is that they just sink to the ocean floor?

<RICKY>

[Swimdude]

Just imagine throughout the years how many are in the Atlantic and GOM

This is why New Orleans is quickly sinking into the GOM.

[EDR1222]

I remember last year they dropped a bunch around Frances, but I don't remember how many. I remember however, the NHC discussing how they dropped to many close to the storms circulation which if everyone remembers, actually was causing problems with the data for the GFS and GFDL as they initially didn't pick up on the high pressure system over Florida and almost had Frances skirting the coast and heading toward the Carolinas when it was obvious by satellite imagery that she was going to go strait into Florida based on the position of ridge. Later on they released more dropsondes further away from the circulation of the hurricane and that was when the models came into better agreement.

At 600 bucks a pop, she was an expensive storm in more ways than one!

[Derek Ortt]

a dropsonde weighs about 1 pound and has a parachute. There is absolutely no danger of it injuring anyone. Plus, they are dropped over the water

[caneflyer]

a dropsonde weighs about 1 pound and has a parachute. There is absolutely no danger of it injuring anyone. Plus, they are dropped over the water

While it is on a parachute, the fall rate at the surface is still about 10 m/s. That's fast enough to give someone a concussion - or worse.

[Derek Ortt]

thats only in the outer core and aloft. They slow near the surface and they fall in the inner core at about 1-2 m/s. Some have even became upsondes in the core

[caneflyer]

thats only in the outer core and aloft. They slow near the surface and they fall in the inner core at about 1-2 m/s. Some have even became upsondes in the core

No, not so. Take a closer look at the vertical velocity data in dropsonde profiles, available from HRD. The "still-air" fall rate at the surface is 10 m/s. They only slow if they are in an updraft. The eyewall has both updrafts and downdrafts, of course, so some eyewall sondes could be falling near the surface faster than 10 m/s.

And in any event, the vertical wind, which is what modulates the fall rate, must go to precisely zero at the surface.

[dougjp]

Excellent thread, thanks for posting this, and as always here, fast and thorough answers.

Lets see now, if you are in a position to be hit by one of these, the weight of a can of coke falling will be the least of your worries, that is if by luck you are still alive. You will be thinking instead of your upside down yacht, your injuries while it was being flipped over, how stupid you were to have ignored weather warnings and ventured out in the first place, sharks in the water and a myriad of other things!