packed with state-of-the-art monitors and gadgets. the team will also launch weather balloons some with devices that measure pollution that can alter the course of the river. once the balloons pop the data floats back to earth thanks to an orange parachute. these may be coming down in california over the next couple weeks. reporter: holding a key to what could end our devastating drought. if they can figure out what makes these rivers tick, they can help california better manage its water supply. if they know we re coming we can do things about t. they thought the rivers would pull water or moisture or energy out of the ocean, but with the two rivers they ve already monitored that did not happen. that s quite interesting. what does an atmospheric river look like in real time? there s one on your television screen right now. there s an atmospheric riverheading toward us. that s why we re doing the story. a lot of rainfall is coming toward california. let s talk about the