Why physicists are air-dropping buoys into the paths of hurricanes

On 10 September, a US Navy P-3 Orion plane chased down Hurricane Francine, then constructing power within the Gulf of Mexico. Because the airplane flew low over the water, helmeted crewmembers generally known as “warlocks” heaved greater than a dozen scientific buoys out of an open door. This was the most recent mission in a program to enhance hurricane forecasts by gathering real-time information on the tumultuous interface of…