The findings are expected to improve understanding, prediction, and mitigation of inundation and erosion during severe tropical storm events due to storm surge and wave action. These events are unique because pre- and during-storm data was collected during a category 4 wind event with a 4-meter (13-foot) storm surge. Data will be shared through NSF’s Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) and with local communities and parties of interest to increase awareness and understanding of risk assessments.
Dr. Britt Raubenheimer, Senior Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, is the NEER founder and director and has been remotely supporting the team composed of natural hazards researchers and practitioners from the coastal and geotechnical engineering communities.
The Big Bend coast of Florida was recently affected by a series of tropical storm events, including Hurricane Idalia (Cat. 3; Sept 2023), Hurricane Debbie (Cat. 1; July 2024), Hurricane Helene (Cat 4; Sept 2024), and Hurricane Milton (Cat. 3, Oct 2024). Hurricane Helene stood out for its rapid intensification just prior to landfall, limited warning and preparation time for residents, and the storm’s inland reach and impact.
The NEER team collected detailed data quantifying storm surge and wave heights throughout Hurricane Helene’s approach and landfall, as well as detailed topographic and aerial imagery data of the areas of Cedar Key, Suwannee, Shired Island, and Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on the day before and soon after landfall. Data was also collected throughout Hurricane Milton and was unique for its diversity of methods, detail, and comprehensiveness in providing insight into the impacts of tropical cyclones on coastal communities. The data include measurements spanning natural mangrove, dune, and tidal flat systems, as well as rubble mound and seawall features, and will help researchers and coastal managers understand the benefits, drawbacks, and unintended consequences of “green” and “gray” coastal protection methods. Preliminary comparisons of observations during Hurricane Idalia and Helene suggest that impacts on infrastructure and natural systems from large storms are greater than would be expected from the impacts of smaller events.
Furthermore, Hurricane Helene was the first storm during which both oceanographic and meteorological data were collected simultaneously at the shoreline, allowing direct evaluation of water versus wind impacts. The results will also contribute to improved risk assessments and impact predictions of tropical cyclones on coastal communities. For example, several destructive barrier island breaches occurred during Hurricane Milton, and continued data collection will help inform us of the causes of these breaches. This data will be used by scientists and communities to better understand and improve predictions of hurricane impacts.
The research is open source and posted on the NEER and GEER websites and through https://www.designsafe-ci.org/.
Additional information on NEER and GEER is available at: https://neerassociation.org/ and http://www.geerassociation.org/
Support for this work was provided by The National Science Foundation.
