Initial Hurricane Ian Push

stories/hurricane-ian.stories.mdx

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+---
+id: hurricane-ian
+name: Hurricane Ian and Impacts on Vegetation
+description: "A in-depth look on how hurricane Ian impacted vegetation on Sanibel Island near Fort Myers."
+media:
+  src: ::file ./ian-cody-reed-background.jpg
+  alt: Hurricane Ian Aftermath.
+  author: 
+    name: Unsplash+
+    url: https://unsplash.com/photos/vR1OW8lzxE4
+pubDate: 2023-08-21
+taxonomy:
+  - name: Topics
+    values:
+      - EIS
+---
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    ## Introduction
+    Hurricane season in the United States stretches from June 1 through November 31 on any particular year. Peak Hurricane season in the eastern United States occurs in August and September. In 2022, Hurricane Ian impacted southwest Florida on September 28 as a Category 4 Hurricane (based on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale). The storm produced $110 billion dollars in damage in Florida alone and left 158 dead. Hurricane Ian was also responsible for not only its impact on life and property, but also an impact on the landscape in portions of southwestern Florida near Fort Myers. Storm surge reached unprecedented levels around the regions of Cape Coral and Fort Myers upwards of 12 to 18 feet. Storm surge, in simple terms, is the sudden rise in ocean water levels during a storm such as a hurricane or tropical storm. An analysis in Figure 1 from the National Hurricane Center’s review on Hurricane Ian shows the dangerous storm surge’s heavy impact on our area of interest. The storm surge is attributed as the primary cause of the catastrophic damage on Pine and Sanibel Islands along with the coastline of Cape Coral and Fort Myers.
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    ## Storm Evolution and Satellite Impact View
+    Hurricane Ian began as a tropical wave off of the Atlantic Coast of Africa. The wave moved easterly towards the Caribbean where it was first designated “Tropical Storm Ian” on September 24 just southeast of Jamaica. Ian intensified into a hurricane quickly and made landfall in western Cuba near Havana as a Category 3 storm where catastrophic damage occurred and widespread power outages. As the storm exited Cuba, it quickly intensified into a Category 5 Hurricane on the morning of September 28 prior to landfall in southwestern Florida. At 3:05 PM EDT on September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Cayo Costa Island, Florida as a strong Category 4 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 149 MPH. Ian weakened to tropical storm status further inland of the Florida Peninsula prior to exiting into the Atlantic. The storm then shifted its track to the north and made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane in Georgetown, South Carolina on September 30. The damage from Hurricane Ian was especially catastrophic on Pine and Sanibel islands just off the coast of Cape Coral. Figure 2 is centered over Lighthouse beach park on the eastern coast of Sanibel Island. The images represent a month prior to Ian and a month post-Ian. Notice the damaged homes and businesses along with the washed away grasslands.
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    ## Using MERRA-2 to Show Wind Impacts
+    Using MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2) data housed by NASA, we can use hourly surface wind data to analyze the hardest hit regions of Hurricane Ian. Figure 3 depicts this dataset with the highest winds occurring just west of the hardest hit islands of southwestern Florida. The data is purposely shown prior to landfall when the most intense part of the storm is impacting the coast, or the eyewall. The eyewall is located just outside the eye where the most intense winds and rainfall most often occur. We can compare that with SVI (Social Vulnerability Index) data that depicts the most impoverished areas from the 2020 Census provided by the CDC. We compare these catastrophic winds to the map in Figure 4. While the most catastrophic damage didn’t occur in the most impoverished portion of Sanibel Island. Major, sizable damage still occurred in the northern portions of Pine and Sanibel Islands along with areas near and around Fort Myers beach where roughly 50-60% of residents in these isolated locations fall below the 150% poverty level.
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    ## Linking NASA Satellite to Illustrate Vegetation Impacts from Ian
+    Figure 2 below depicts the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) around Cape Coral a month prior to Hurricane Ian. NDVI serves as a fundamental metric for comprehending the vitality and abundance of vegetation within a specific geographical region. In this discovery, we obtained NDVI data from NASA’s MODIS over a comprehensive two-month duration. The primary vegetation in this portion of Florida can include grasslands and forested regions. The time scope ecompasses both a pre-Ian period, spanning one month prior to the hurricane’s occurrence, and a post-Ian period, spanning one month after the hurricane’s impact. In Figure 2, the bright green locations show a relatively high abundance of vegetation in a particular location. The dark green or red locations depict areas with low vegetation meaning that these areas are likely urbanized in a location such as this. Notice Pine and Sanibel Islands just east of Cape Coral. These areas were particularly hard hit by Ian. Storm surge inundated much of the access points to the islands along with washing away much of the vegetation in these locations. 
+
+    Figure 3 depicts a significant change in the vegetation landscape post-Hurricane. Note that we mentioned Pine and Sanibel Islands. Much of the vegetation seems to have been washed away by the storm surge. Punta Russa, located on the southwestern tip of Fort Myers beach along Sanibel Causeway, is another location that experienced catastrophic storm surge during Ian. Note the change in NDVI at the tip of Punta Russa. In addition to statistical analyses, the notable transformation of vegetation in these dispersed areas holds significant scientific importance, as it provides compelling evidence of the formidable impact exerted by this catastrophic hurricane. 
+
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    ## Comparing Previous Years to 2022
+    When studying NDVI over a specific time, it’s essential to consider the yearly patterns before the hurricane to understand what is “normal” for that period. As shown in Figure 4, the time series displays NDVI values for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Typically, during late September and early October, the NDVI value hovers around 0.61 based on a three-year average (2019-2021). This value indicates the health and abundance of vegetation in the area. However, when comparing the data from the year when Hurricane Ian occurred, we observe a drop in the NDVI value to less than 0.58. This decrease suggests a notable impact on vegetation in the mentioned areas following Ian. The region under examination includes Pine Island, Sanibel Island, Cape Coral, and Fort Myers, where the vegetation experienced visible changes due to the hurricane’s influence. It is important to note that the NDVI product we use provides a 16-day average, which allows us to monitor changes in vegetation over time, considering the short-term fluctuations and seasonal patterns. The dip in NDVI values begins to occur in early September likely due to the impact of Ian later in the month.
+
+    The pivotal takeaway from this narrative is that Hurricane Ian’s impact extended beyond human life and property, affecting vegetation. The hurricane’s storm surge inundated vast stretches of the coastline between Cape Coral and Fort Myers, but it was particularly catastrophic for Pine and Sanibel Islands. Here, a substantial portion of the pre-Ian vegetation underwent severe devastation due to the sudden surge in water. Thus, hurricanes can exert a substantial and multifaceted influence on the ecological landscape, underscoring the significance of understanding their broader environmental repercussions.
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+
+