Stormpulse event tracking overlays the location of Gulf of Mexico storms on NASA base imagery. Data include historical tracks, forecast models, wind probabilities, cloud cover, wind fields, buoys, current center location, wind speed, pressure, and movement.
Hurricanes: Powerful Agents Shaping the Coast
Satellite Loop of Hurricane Katrina's Track [Image courtesy of the University of Wisconsin (CIMSS)]
After tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico make landfall, scientists at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center are poised for many kinds of assessments, from aerial damage reconnaissance to recovery patterns of habitats, in an effort to understand how storms affect coastal wetlands. New studies are addressing how catastrophic events can increase the spread of already troublesome invasive species such as the cactus moth and channeled applesnail. Historical studies include geographic information system mapping of habitats, ecological studies of vegetation and soils, effects of flooding on coastal forests, and effects of storm damage on habitat for birds and other animals.
