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Hurricane ScienceHurricanes are large-scale disturbances of such force and size that their influence on landscape pattern and process of coastal systems is evident though still poorly understood. The regularity and severity of tropical storms are major determinants controlling ecosystem structure and succession for coastal ecosystems. Hurricane landfall rates vary greatly for given coastal stretches of the southeastern United States. Ecological research conducted by USGS scientists following hurricanes often involves post-storm assessments characterizing the degree and extent of damage to ecosystem structure (i.e., downed and defoliated trees, marsh loss or compression, broken coral). NWRC scientists have had first-hand opportunities with major hurricanes such as Hugo (1989), Andrew* (1992), Mitch (1998), Katrina and Rita (2005) and Ike (2008) to investigate the scale and magnitude of impact on coastal wetlands as well as process and pattern of recovery. Examples of research projects include mapping wetland loss and land cover change, monitoring vegetation, soils, surface and pore waters, analyzing linkages between habitat destruction and faunal populations, and modeling forest damage and wind-throw patterns. Click here for more information about hurricane research at NWRC. * This document is in PDF format. Your computer must have Adobe Reader or similar software installed to view this document. The Adobe Reader software is available free of charge from http://get.adobe.com/reader. Research
* This document is in PDF format. Your computer must have Adobe Reader or similar software installed to view this document. The Adobe Reader software is available free of charge from http://get.adobe.com/reader. Return to Hurricane Research at NWRC |
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