Communicating the excitement of the hurricane research field programs of 2010 to the public, Part 1: Perspective of the participating scientists

During the hurricane season of 2010, three closely related research programs were carried out: NASA's Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP), NOAA's Intensity Forecasting Experiment (IFEX) and NSF's PRE-Depression Investigation of Cloud Systems in the Tropics (PREDICT). Together, these 3 programs mounted the most ambitious attack on the long-standing mysteries of why some tropical disturbances become tropical cyclones or hurricanes (and some do not), and why some intensify rapidly while others fizzle out. This presentation focuses on how scientists from the 3 projects collaborated with each other for optimum results, and from their perspective, how they were able to work with the media to convey the importance of the research and ongoing activities to the public, while minimizing interference with the research itself.