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Earthquake sensors can help forecast how hurricanes intensify

Phys · · 942 words · By Stanford University
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What to know about Earthquake sensors can help forecast how hurricanes intensify

Stanford University researchers have demonstrated that seismic sensors and infrasound microphones, typically used for earthquake monitoring, can effectively capture boundary layer turbulence in hurricanes. By analyzing data from Hurricane Isaac, the study suggests that these instruments can provide valuable, continuous data to help meteorologists better predict storm intensification.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 13
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center86%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Earthquake sensors can help forecast how hurricanes intensify Swati Mestri Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor Stanford researchers have shown that instruments primarily used to understand earthquakes can capture key details about hurricanes, helping…

Why it matters

6 in Science demonstrates how specialized microphones and seismometers that detect Earth's movements can reveal the inner workings of hurricanes.

Common ground

The discovery came after Hurricane Isaac barreled onto the Louisiana coast in 2012, passing over areas where geophysicists had installed sensors for another project.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Stanford University researchers have demonstrated that seismic sensors and infrasound microphones, typically used for earthquake monitoring, can effectively capture boundary layer turbulence in hurricanes. By analyzing data from Hurricane Isaac, the study suggests that these instruments can provide valuable, continuous data to help meteorologists better predict storm intensification.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-earthquake-sensors-hurricanes.html

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Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
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Claim 1: “Stanford researchers have shown that instruments primarily used to understand earthquakes can capture key details about hurricanes”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Stanford researchers and other scientists have shown that seismic instruments (earthquake sensors) can capture details about hurricanes.
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web search NEUTRAL — Strong storms often show up on seismic instruments. “We saw this for Hurricane Harvey on seismometers located close to Houston,” Hicks said. As Irma gets closer to the sensors, “we will see a dramatic…
https://themillenniumreport.com/2017/09/hurricane-irma-so-st…
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web search NEUTRAL — The two GOES satellites keep their eyes on hurricanes from far above Earth's surface—22,300 miles above, to be exact! (Learn more about this kind of orbit.)
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/hurricanes/en/
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web search NEUTRAL — Stanford researchers have shown that instruments primarily used to understand earthquakes can capture key details about hurricanes, helping meteorologists better predict how storms will evolve and int…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-earthquake-sensors-hurricanes.…
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Claim 2: “Measuring turbulence in the boundary layer is vital for forecasting storm intensity and behavior”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that boundary layer turbulence is a key factor in forecasting hurricane intensity and behavior.
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web search NEUTRAL — Measuring turbulence in the boundary layer is vital for forecasting storm intensity and behavior, since it's a key factor in whether a hurricane strengthens or weakens. To obtain boundary layer data, …
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-earthquake-sensors-hurricanes.…
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web search NEUTRAL — Boundary layer processes in hurricanes are of interest for applications in wind engineering, wind energy, coastal resilience and meteorology. A key parameter in the functional form of wind profiles an…
https://arxiv.org/html/2605.03933
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web search NEUTRAL — The turbulence effect on the hurricane intensity can be quantified only if the turbulences can be resolved in the numerical models. One objective of the current project is to perform a set of large-ed…
https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA538793
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Claim 3: “Category 5 hurricanes Andrew in 1992 and Michael in 2018”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 4: “Louisiana had few seismic sensors installed when Hurricane Isaac hit in 2012.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence confirms Hurricane Isaac hit Louisiana in 2012, but none of the sources provide information regarding the density or quantity of seismic sensors installed in Louisiana at that time.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was an extremely active and destructive Atlantic hurricane season that became the third-costliest on record, behind only 2017 and 2005. The season featured 18 named …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Atlantic_hurricane_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane sea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isaac_(2012)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From 1851 to the present, at least 200 tropical or subtropical cyclones affected the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to David Roth of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC), a tropical cyc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Louisiana_hurricanes
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Claim 5: “Since seismometers detect ground movements, they can pinpoint when a hurricane makes landfall”
CORROBORATED
Evidence from multiple sources indicates that seismometers detect ground movements caused by hurricanes and can be used to pinpoint landfall or monitor storm progress.
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web search NEUTRAL — Seismometers picked up the ferocious winds and waves of Hurricane Melissa, showing how the tools can be used to better understand storms today and those from the past.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/seismometers-pick…
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web search NEUTRAL — 8. Hurricanes Show Up on Seismographs. 7. The Exact Cause of a Hurricane’s Formation Remains Unknown. 6. The Sahara Desert Impacts Hurricanes in the Atlantic.Researchers have also used seismometers to…
https://mytour.vn/en/blog/lifestyle/10-incredible-insights-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — The drumbeat-like thumping of Hurricane Dorian is being picked up by seismometers, and this data visualisation allows you to "hear" the hurricane's unnerving tremors.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2019/09/04/listen-…
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Claim 6: “hurricanes typically span 300–400 miles (480–640 kilometers) in diameter”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific diameter range of 300-400 miles is mentioned in one web search result related to the Stanford research, but is not corroborated by other provided sources or Wikipedia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1981 Pacific hurricane season was a slightly below average Pacific hurricane season. The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific basin and June 1 in the central Pacific basin. B…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Pacific_hurricane_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1982 Pacific hurricane season was, at the time, the most active and costliest Pacific hurricane season on record, with 23 named storms. Of those, 12 became hurricanes, with 5 intensifying into maj…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Pacific_hurricane_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Forbes compiles the finances of all 32 NHL teams to produce an annual ranking of the best franchises in terms of valuation. The valuations are composed of the monetary worth of the sport, market, stad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_list_of_the_most_valuab…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “The discovery came after Hurricane Isaac barreled onto the Louisiana coast in 2012, passing over areas where geophysicists had installed sensors for another project.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Hurricane Isaac made landfall on the Louisiana coast in August 2012, and specific evidence mentions a seismogram showing ground vibrations from the storm passing over sensors.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was an extremely active and destructive Atlantic hurricane season that became the third-costliest on record, behind only 2017 and 2005. The season featured 18 named …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Atlantic_hurricane_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane sea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isaac_(2012)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From 1851 to the present, at least 200 tropical or subtropical cyclones affected the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to David Roth of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC), a tropical cyc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Louisiana_hurricanes
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “A hurricane swirls around a calm, low-pressure eye, which is encircled by a band of intense wind and rain known as the eyewall.”
CORROBORATED
The structure of a hurricane (low-pressure eye surrounded by an eyewall) is a fundamental meteorological fact confirmed by Wikipedia and multiple other sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weather and highest winds of the cyclone occur. The cyclone's lowest barometric pressure occurs in the eye and c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_(cyclone)
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web search NEUTRAL — A hurricane swirls around a calm, low-pressure eye, which is encircled by a band of intense wind and rain known as the eyewall.The combined dataset clearly showed Hurricane Isaac’s calm eye passing ov…
https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/what-earthquake-sen…
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web search NEUTRAL — All tropical cyclones consist of a central eye with no extreme weather, a violent eyewall of intense winds funneling warm, moist air upward, and spiraling rainbands composed of clouds and thunderstorm…
https://join1440.com/t/hurricanes
info
Claim 9: “A new study published Aug. 6 in Science demonstrates how specialized microphones and seismometers that detect Earth's movements can reveal the inner workings of hurricanes.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general concept of using seismometers for hurricanes is corroborated, the specific detail about a study published in 'Science' on August 6 is not found in the provided evidence. The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (Study.com, general Wikipedia dates).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemispher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August 4 is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 149 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_4
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 146 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_7
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “By "hearing" low-frequency sound waves inaudible to people, infrasound microphones can also monitor atmospheric pressure”
CORROBORATED
Evidence confirms that infrasound microphones detect low-frequency sound waves (pressure waves) to monitor atmospheric pressure.
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web search NEUTRAL — Infrasound waves travel at the speed of sound, approximately 340 m/s (760 mph) at sea level, thus taking about 15 minutes to travel every 300 km (185 miles).Infrasound sensors (microphones) are design…
https://avo.alaska.edu/about/infrasound
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web search NEUTRAL — Since seismometers detect ground movements, they can pinpoint when a hurricane makes landfall, according to the study. By "hearing" low-frequency sound waves inaudible to people, infrasound microphone…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-earthquake-sensors-hurricanes.…
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web search NEUTRAL — 1. Understanding the Basics of Infrasound Detection. Detecting infrasound begins with understanding its unique characteristics. Infrasound waves have long wavelengths and low frequencies, which requir…
https://www.bjultrasonic.com/how-to-detect-infrasound/
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Claim 11: “Over about 100 seconds, the hurricane moved the ground a fraction of a millimeter”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “Turbulent seismoacoustic imprints during a hurricane landfall, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.adt7323”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 13: “Hurricane Isaac made landfall as a Category 1 storm.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Wikipedia confirms Hurricane Isaac was a deadly cyclone that hit Louisiana in 2012, the provided snippets do not explicitly state its category at the moment of landfall.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was an extremely active and destructive Atlantic hurricane season that became the third-costliest on record, behind only 2017 and 2005. The season featured 18 named …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Atlantic_hurricane_season
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane sea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isaac_(2012)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) is a tropical cyclone intensity scale that classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffir–Simpson_scale
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.